BBMP Budget: Rs 49.5 Cr for CM Relief Fund, Less Than 1% to Health

The budget was presented online for the first time due to restrictions in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.  

(Photo: Twitter/BBMP Commissioner)

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) on Monday presented a budget of an outlay of Rs 10,899.23 crore for the financial year 2020-21, compared to its outlay of Rs 11,449 crore for the previous financial year (2019-20).

The budget was presented online due to restrictions in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The BBMP has proposed to set aside Rs 25 lakh of wards’ grant from each ward, amounting to Rs 49.5 crore, to be contributed for the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.

Incidentally, in his speech, L Srinivas, the Chairman of Standing Committee for Finance, also stated that like in previous years, the expenditure of the previous fiscal was revised to only Rs 7,066.21 crore.

However, apart from the COVID-19 relief package, the Palike has earmarked less than 1 percent of the budget on health. Only a total of 1 percent of the budget will be jointly spent on health and education, the budget document said. The monthly honorarium of link workers in BBMP Health department shall be increased by Rs 1,000.

In a welcome step, BBMP has said that birth and death certificates shall be issued free of cost and sent through the post directly to their homes.

Among the other highlights, a multispeciality hospital with 25 ICU (Intensive Care Units) under Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay’s name will be constructed. An amount of Rs 20 crore has been reserved for this.

Further, the BBMP budget document stated that an expert nephrologist shall be appointed to supervise free dialysis facilities to be given at BBMP hospitals.

The programme to provide free stents and angioplasty medical treatment for poor cardiac patients shall be continued for which Rs 4 crore has been set aside. Another Rs 16 crore will be utilised to set up and maintain dialysis centres in assembly constituencies that have no dialysis units.

A majority of the budget has been allotted for development (49 percent) and maintenance (11 percent) works in the city, while only 5 percent of the funds have been allocated for lakes, parks and gardens.

A total of 6 percent of the budget will be spent on welfare programmes even though the vision of the budget mentions four points of smart education, pure drinking water, environment conservation and basic infrastructure.

Rs 50 crore has been reserved for water supply works – Rs 35 lakhs per ward in new zones and Rs 20 lakhs per ward in old zones.

Under the “Free Cauvery Water” programme, domestic connection users of BWSSB (Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board), whose monthly water consumption is up to a maximum of 10,000 litres, shall be given free Cauvery water.

A budgetary provision of Rs 43 Crores has been made for payment to the BWSSB. Rs 43 crore will be paid to the BWSSB. A total of 2.5 lakh families are expected to benefit from this, BBMP said.

The budget also mentions that Rs 10 crore will be the reserved for constructing Nadaprabhu Kempegowda arches and for landscape development at eight entrances of BBMP limits, namely at Tumkur Road, Mysore Road, Hosur Road, Kolar Road, Kanakapura Road, Devanahalli Road, Doddaballapura Road and Magadi Road.

(Republished in an arrangement with The News Minute)