budget karnataka: Union Finance Minister earmarks Rs 5,300 crore aid for Upper Bhadra project in Karnataka

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday said the Centre would provide Rs 5,300 crore assistance for Upper Bhadra project in poll-bound Karnataka. In her budget speech in Parliament, Sitharaman said, “In the drought prone central regions of Karnataka, a central assistance of Rs 5,300 crore will be given for the Upper Bhadra Project.” The Upper Bhadra Project envisages lifting of 17.40 thousand million cubic feet (TMC) of water from river Thunga to Bhadra reservoir and 29.90 TMC from Bhadra reservoir for utilisation in Upper Bhadra Project. The project is crucial for the state as it will help meet the water requirements in the parched regions. Expressing gratitude, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai in a tweet said, “On behalf of whole of Karnataka I thank the Finance Minister @nsitharaman and the union government led by Prime Minister Mr @narendramodi for announcing a grant of Rs 5300 crore for the state’s flagship Upper Bhadra project in this year’s union budget.