Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, in a sharp criticism of the Union Government during the State-level Disha Committee meeting held at Vidhana Soudha on Wednesday, said the Centre has failed to release ₹4,195 crore of its committed share for centrally sponsored schemes in FY 2024–25.

Out of the total grant of ₹22,758 crore that was to come from the Centre, only ₹18,561 crore has been released so far, leaving crucial development projects stranded. The total grant for centrally sponsored schemes stands at ₹46,859 crore, including the state’s share of ₹24,960 crore.

The CM urged MPs from Karnataka to play an active role in securing these funds. “Despite meeting Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman twice, our delegation could not get even a single rupee released for the ₹5,360 crore Upper Bhadra Project announced in the 2023–24 Union Budget,” he said.

The Chief Minister expressed serious concern over the Centre's failure to support social security schemes. He said while Karnataka’s grant for widow, old-age, and disability pensions is ₹5,665.95 crore, the Centre’s committed grant was ₹559.61 crore — of which only ₹113.92 crore has been released.

Officials in the meeting raised alarms about the significant pending dues under flagship schemes. MNREGA funds for the state are yet to be released, despite ongoing work. The Jal Jeevan Mission has ₹7,656 crore pending for 2023–24 and ₹3,233 crore for 2024–25.

Siddaramaiah emphasized that 100% utilisation of grants must be achieved and directed that Disha meetings be regularly held in districts with the active participation of MPs. Disha Committee member and Shivajinagar MLA Rizwan Arshad questioned whether the Centre has become so weak that it cannot even provide drinking water funds.

The CM also warned of legal action against any officials found guilty of irregularities in the implementation of MNREGA or other schemes, and reiterated that the delay in fund release was a major obstacle to development in Karnataka.