Mangaluru: Legislators from coastal Karnataka districts have expressed strong dissatisfaction over the absence of specific allocations for Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Uttara Kannada in the State Budget 2026–27, with Mangaluru City South MLA D. Vedavyasa Kamath stating that elected representatives from the region will soon convene to discuss the issue.
Addressing reporters on Saturday, Kamath said MLAs from the coastal belt would hold a meeting shortly under the leadership of Karkala MLA V. Sunil Kumar to collectively express their displeasure over what they termed as the government’s neglect of the region in the latest Budget.
The meeting, expected to include legislators from multiple constituencies in the coastal districts, will discuss the lack of dedicated financial allocations for infrastructure, development and sectoral growth in the region.
Pre-budget consultations termed futile
Kamath said that Karnataka Legislative Assembly Speaker and local MLA U.T. Khader had chaired two separate pre-budget consultation meetings — one in the city and another in Bengaluru — to discuss proposals related to the development needs of coastal Karnataka.
Dakshina Kannada district in-charge Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao had also participated in these meetings. According to Kamath, several suggestions and proposals concerning infrastructure, economic development and sectoral growth were submitted during the consultations.
However, he said the absence of concrete allocations for the region in the final Budget made the entire exercise meaningless.
“With no specific allocations made for coastal Karnataka in the Budget, the whole exercise of holding pre-budget meetings has turned out to be a futile exercise,” Kamath stated.
He added that the coastal districts play a significant role in the State’s economy through sectors such as fisheries, trade, tourism and education, and therefore deserve focused financial support.
Concerns over medical college announcement
Referring to the announcement regarding a medical college in Puttur, Kamath said that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had only mentioned the sanctioning of a 300-bed hospital but had not made any specific budgetary allocation for establishing the medical college itself.
According to the MLA, the announcement lacked clarity and financial commitment in the current Budget.
Kamath also criticised the Budget speech for including announcements such as the opening of 12 police stations across the State, including two in Dakshina Kannada. He said such announcements did not necessarily require mention in the Budget.
No new push for IT or textile sectors
The MLA further said that the Budget failed to provide any concrete support for boosting economic growth in key sectors such as information technology and textiles in the coastal region.
He noted that the proposal to establish an IT park in the city had already been announced in earlier Budgets and had merely been repeated again without fresh allocation or progress updates.
Kamath also pointed out that the long-standing demand for a separate budget focusing specifically on coastal Karnataka had not been addressed.
Another unfulfilled promise, he said, was the life insurance scheme for fishermen, under which ₹10 lakh coverage had earlier been announced but is yet to be implemented.
Questions raised on implementation of earlier announcements
The MLA also questioned the implementation record of the government’s earlier budget announcements.
According to Kamath, more than 75% of the announcements made in the first Budget of Siddaramaiah’s current term and nearly 85% of those made in the second Budget are yet to be realised.
He further highlighted the financial indicators of the State, noting that the latest Budget has a fiscal deficit of ₹97,449 crore and a revenue deficit of ₹29,957 crore.
Kamath criticised the government’s borrowing levels, claiming that the State has accumulated a loan burden of ₹8.24 lakh crore.
“Each resident of Karnataka is now carrying a loan burden of about ₹1.5 lakh,” he said, alleging that the government’s financial management had significantly increased the State’s debt.
BJP leaders echo criticism
Dakshina Kannada district BJP president Sathish Kumpala also criticised the State government for allegedly ignoring the coastal region in the Budget.
Addressing a press conference at the party office on Saturday, Kumpala claimed that funds under the Special Component Plan and the Tribal Sub-Plan — meant for the welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes — had been diverted towards funding the government’s guarantee schemes.
He also alleged that while additional benefits had been announced for Muslims, the government had neglected the needs of Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
Growing political debate over regional development
The criticism from legislators and party leaders has intensified the political debate surrounding the State Budget and the distribution of development funds across different regions.
Representatives from coastal Karnataka argue that the region, which contributes significantly to the State’s economy through ports, fisheries, education and commerce, requires more targeted investments.
With the proposed meeting of coastal MLAs expected soon, the issue is likely to gain further political attention in the coming weeks.