Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah Challenges Centre on Urea Allocation

Karnataka's Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has criticized the central government for reducing the state's urea supply, causing significant disruption during a crucial sowing period. The Chief Minister expressed concerns about the Centre's decision amid favourable rains, which have encouraged a growth in sowing activities.

At a governance and development review meeting, Siddaramaiah highlighted that only 5.17 lakh metric tonnes of urea were supplied against a need of 11.17 lakh metric tonnes between April and July, resulting in a shortfall affecting farmers. He called BJP's protests against the issue politically motivated and reiterated the importance of clarifying the situation to constituents.

Highlighting financial woes from the previous BJP government, Siddaramaiah pointed to the Rs 68,000 crore loss in central tax allocations and unpaid bills of over Rs 72,000 crore due to mismanagement. Despite these challenges, the state is making strides in economic metrics, including ranking first in per capita income, partly due to effective local welfare schemes.

(With inputs from agencies.)