Centre delaying release of matching grants for Kalyana Karnataka, says Ajay Singh

Accusing the Union government of reneging on its constitutional commitment under Article 371(J), Ajay Singh, chairman, Kalyana Karnataka Regional Development Board (KKRDB), said that the Centre has failed to release matching grants meant for the development of the Kalyana Karnataka region.

Addressing a press conference in Kalaburagi city on Wednesday, Dr. Singh said that despite sustained efforts by the State government, including repeated letters and personal representations by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to the President, the Prime Minister, and the Union Finance Minister, no funds have been released so far. He said discussions were under way with the Chief Minister to soon take an all-party delegation to press the Central government for the release of the pending grants.

Dr. Singh said that the State government has allocated ₹24,878 crore to the KKRDB from 2013–14 to 2025–26. On the lines of the Vidarbha development model in Maharashtra, the Centre should release an equal amount as matching grants to accelerate development in the region.

₹1.25 lakh crore due from Centre

Dr. Singh accused the Union government of adopting a step-motherly attitude towards Karnataka by withholding about ₹1.25 lakh crore under various heads. He said no funds had been released from the ₹5,300 crore announced for the Upper Bhadra project, ₹6,000 crore promised for Bengaluru’s development, or ₹5,495 crore recommended as special grants under the 15th Finance Commission. Pending dues also include disaster relief and centrally sponsored schemes, besides losses due to changes in tax devolution.

Criticising changes to the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) Scheme, he said altering the funding pattern to a 60:40 Centre–State ratio from full Central funding would weaken States, and accused the Modi-led government at Centre of focusing more on renaming existing schemes than on employment and welfare.

Education reforms in KK region

Referring to education reforms, Dr. Singh said a committee of education experts headed by Chaya Degaonkar had submitted a report to the Chief Minister in Belagavi on December 16. The report recommended the construction of KPS schools, the introduction of bilingual education, improvement in learning outcomes, and steps to address teacher shortages for improving the results in the region. An amount of ₹3.44 crore is being spent to improve SSLC examination results, he added.

Replying to a query, Dr. Singh said that there are 247 KPS schools in the State, of which 60 are located in the Kalyana Karnataka region. Within a year, 200 schools would be established by the KKRDB and another 100 by the Education Department in the region. He added that the Board would spend around ₹4,000 crore by March 31 during the 2025-26 financial year.