BJP govt responsible for decline in GSDP growth: Congress

The Opposition Congress today held the BJP government responsible for pushing the growth of the state backwards in the last five years. The government has failed in ensuring growth of the state on all fiscal parameters, the Congress said.

“The chief minister has claimed that the financial position of the state is sound. The growth rate of gross state domestic product (GSDP) has alarmingly declined from 10.5 per cent in 2005-06 to 5.5 per cent in 2011-12. It is estimated to grow at 5.9 per cent for 2012-13. This shows that there is no growth and in such a scenario, how can one say that the financial status is sound,” Siddaramaiah, Leader of the Opposition in the house asked.

Speaking on the budget estimates for 2013-14 in the state assembly on Tuesday, he said the GSDP growth rate has dipped below the national average in the last five years.

The revenue surplus of the state has also sharply declined to Rs 935 crore in 2012-13 from Rs 4,100 crore in 2006-07. It is further projected to decline to Rs 585 crore in 2013-14. “This means there is not much funds left to undertake developmental works and no money for asset creation. Under such circumstances, how can the government claim that it has achieved growth?” he questioned. Making a stellar debate on the floor of the assembly soaked with facts and figures, Siddaramaiah said the BJP government has utterly neglected the growth aspects in the last five years. “When Shettar presented his budget for 2013-14 we had expected some change from him. But there is no direction in his budget. There is no message to the state and there is no development agenda,” he said.

With just three months left for the elections, how will they fulfill their promises made to the people of this state, he asked. Strongly criticizing the BJP government for increasing the size of the budget over Rs 1 lakh crore in the last two years, Siddaramaiah said only 42 per cent of the plan size for the current fiscal (2012-13) has been spent till December.

The plan size for current fiscal is Rs 42,030 crore. Subsequently, the government increased the plan size with additional plan component of Rs 7,750 crore during the year through supplementary estimates. However, the plan size has been revised and fixed at Rs 46,450 crore for the year 2013-14.

“This means a reduction of Rs 3,330 crore over that of 2012-13. It will result in muted growth during the year. The state will go back 10 years in terms of development,” he stated.