Ravi Kumar slams Govt for failure to utilise Central funds

Bengaluru: Chief Whip of the Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Council N Ravi Kumar on Monday strongly criticised the Congress government, describing it as “totally incompetent” for its failure to utilise Central funds.

In a statement, Ravi Kumar said as much as ₹8,937 crore allocated to 12 important departments remains unutilised. “The Congress government’s performance in utilising Central funds is a pathetic 41.8 per cent,” he said.

Highlighting department-wise figures, he pointed out that the Transport Department received ₹11 crore but did not spend a single rupee. The Revenue Department left the entire ₹189 crore unutilised. The Water Resources Department managed only 1.3 per cent utilisation, leaving ₹52 crore unused, while Primary Education utilised a mere 1.8 per cent, with ₹912 crore remaining unspent.

Ravi Kumar noted that the bulk of the unutilised amount pertains to major schemes. “Out of the ₹8,937 crore remaining unutilised, the lion’s share belongs to 10 projects, including the Jal Jeevan Mission and VB-G-RAM-G. Under Samagra Shiksha schemes alone, ₹6,615 crore is yet to be utilised,” he said.

Terming the figures a “telling comment on the abysmally dismal state of affairs in day-to-day governance,” Ravi Kumar alleged that the Chief Minister and every minister had failed to administer the state in the best interest of the people. “Non-utilisation of Central funds means betraying people’s interests,” he added.

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The Hans India