Bengaluru, 14 May 

State Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday slammed the Centre for "not releasing the announced grants" for the State, which include funds for the Bhadra dam project, pensions for poor, elderly citizens and the needy, and the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS).

Siddaramaiah chaired a review meeting of the functioning of District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committees (DISHA), a government initiative that seeks to promote participative governance and deliberative democracy.

Siddaramaiah came down heavily on the Members of Parliament from Karnataka for "being silent".

"You (MPs) should try together to release the grants within a stipulated time. You should not try to shrug your responsibility," the Chief Minister said.

He added the State gives a total of Rs 5,665 crore in pensions, while the Central government contributes Rs 559 crore. "The Centre has kept this pending for two years. Why?"

"The names of Prime Minister Modi and the Centre are on most of the projects funded by the State government. However, not even a fraction of the Centre's money is coming. Shouldn't you (MPs) question this continuous injustice?" Siddaramaiah asked.

Officials said that the funds under the MGNREGS have not yet been received from the Centre.  Officials added that the Centre has not released Rs 7,656 crore in 2023-24 and Rs 3,233 crore in 2024-25 under the Jal Jeevan Mission scheme.