Bengaluru, Sept 2 (IANS) Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Wednesday urged the NITI Aayog to ensure that the state receives its due share of Central funds, including allocations announced by the Union government in previous Budgets.
Shivakumar made the appeal during a meeting with NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Ashok Kumar Lahiri at his official residence, Krishna, in Bengaluru.
Emphasising the importance of cooperative federalism, the Chief Minister said the Centre and states must work together in the national interest, as the development of states was essential for the overall growth of the country.
“Everyone must work together keeping the interests of the country in mind. The country can develop only when the states develop. Under the federal system, the states and the Centre need to work in cooperation with each other. After a long time, I have got an opportunity to hold a separate meeting with NITI Aayog. The NITI Aayog should extend all possible support to Karnataka,” he added.
Shivakumar said the country had high expectations from Karnataka and added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also acknowledged the state’s contribution.
He said that NITI Aayog had suggested developing a “second Bengaluru” and assured that the state would formulate an appropriate plan in this regard by studying initiatives undertaken by other states.
“Karnataka is at the forefront in the country in terms of GSDP, per capita income, human development indicators, technology and innovation, foreign direct investment, exports, startups and the IT services sector. Karnataka has the highest quality human resources in the country,” he added.
He noted that Karnataka produces around 1.6 lakh engineers and nearly 13,000 doctors every year, while Bengaluru is home to around 2.6 million IT professionals.
“People from all parts of the country are coming to Bengaluru and settling here, and the city’s population is continuously increasing. All these factors are putting pressure on Bengaluru. We have formulated several ambitious projects to improve the city’s infrastructure, and they are at various stages of implementation,” Shivakumar said.
Referring to population-based allocation of Central funds, CM Shivakumar said Southern states that had successfully implemented population-control measures should not be disadvantaged.
“During a recent discussion with the Union Home Minister (Amit Shah), I pointed out that the Southern states have effectively implemented population-control measures, whereas the Northern states have not done so adequately. The Southern states should not be penalised by determining the share of funds primarily on the basis of population,” he added.
Shivakumar also recalled former Prime Minister late Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s statement that world leaders visiting India would prefer to visit Bengaluru before Delhi, and said he had recently shared the observation with Prime Minister Modi.
He urged NITI Aayog to give Karnataka special consideration, noting that the state has a large extent of dryland agriculture after Rajasthan.
“Karnataka’s agriculture sector is also growing steadily. Given these circumstances, NITI Aayog needs to give special consideration to Karnataka,” he said.
The Chief Minister highlighted the state government’s welfare initiatives, saying the five guarantee schemes were being implemented effectively and that the state government was spending more than Rs 50,000 crore every year on them.
He added that the state government spends around Rs 20,000 crore annually on electricity subsidies to provide free power to farmers.
Shivakumar also said the state government had formulated plans to develop government schools with the objective of providing quality education at the rural level.
“Karnataka has played a significant role in the country’s development. NITI Aayog should provide all possible support for these initiatives and their implementation,” he added.
Officials told the meeting that Karnataka’s Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) stood at Rs 32.81 lakh crore in 2025-26, registering a growth rate of 8.1 per cent. The services sector accounted for 70 per cent of the GSDP, followed by industry at 19 per cent and agriculture at 11 per cent.
NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Ashok Kumar Lahiri said he was proud of Karnataka’s development and stressed the need to seriously consider establishing a second Bengaluru in the state to reduce the pressure on the existing city.
“Karnataka has all the potential to grow rapidly. The country can grow and develop only when the states grow. Karnataka has a large extent of dryland, and plans need to be formulated to increase productivity in dryland areas,” Lahiri added.
Minister Priyank Kharge, Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh, Chief Minister’s Economic Adviser L.K. Atheeq, Political Secretary A.S. Ponnanna, Development Commissioner Uma Mahadevan, Chief Minister’s Additional Chief Secretary Tushar Girinath and other senior officials attended the meeting.
–IANS
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