Karnataka: Beer to get more expensive, CM announces pro-farmer budget

Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy on Friday proposed a number of measures for farmers and mutts in the state 2019-20 budget.

However, beer drinkers in the state would have to shell out more after the budget comes into effect as Kumaraswamy has hiked the excise duty on draught beer and beer produced at microbreweries.

In the state budget, Kumaraswamy has set aside Rs 110 crore for schemes related to 38 mutts in the state. He has also provided Rs 400 crore for minority communities.

Meanwhile, Kumaraswamy has hiked the excise duty on draught beer and beer produced at microbreweries. The additional excise duty on beer has been increased to 175 per cent from 150 per cent, on draught beer to 150 per cent from 115 per cent.

Excise on beer manufactured in micro-breweries has been doubled to Rs 10 per bottle from Rs 5 earlier, and additional excise has been increased to Rs 25 from Rs 12.5 per bottle.

Kumaraswamy, who holds the finance portfolio, presented his government's second budget, amid high octane political drama that saw the opposition BJP boycotting it.

In the budget of the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) coalition government, the total size of which was Rs 2.34 lakh crore, Kumaraswamy proposed an allocation of Rs 12,650 crore budget for the Congress-JDS coalition government's flagship crop loan waiver scheme.

A total grant of Rs 17,212 crore has been provided to Water Resources Department during 2019-20 in the budget that proposes for various irrigation schemes, tank filling projects, comprehensive developmental works, canal modernisation-development works, Bridge and Barrage construction works, among other things.

One thousand Karnataka Public Schools will be established in Hobli headquarters in the next 4 years, Kumaraswamy said.

Education will be provided under one roof from pre-primary level to the 12th class, he said.

Kumaraswamy also proposed Group Insurance scheme to all Auto and Taxi drivers, as he announced that Drivers Day will be observed by the government in all the districts of the State to identify the good services of the drivers of various sectors.