DVS holds Budget meeting

BANGALORE: Chief minister D V Sadananda Gowda stayed away from the birthday bash organised for former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa at Hubli.Instead, he held a brainstorming pre-budget meeting with the senior government officials on Sunday According to official sources, Gowda gave finishing touch to the 2012-13 budget, which he will present in the Karnataka Assembly on March 21.The chief minister held the meeting at his chamber housed in the corporate office of the Karnataka Power Corporation (KPC) located near the Vidhana Soudha.The meeting went on for six hours.The budget that he will present in the both the houses of Karnataka Legislature is expected to give prominence to core areas including agriculture, power, industries, irrigation and health among others.Pressure on resource mobilisation, mounting debt and maintaining financial discipline, widening fiscal deficit and additional burden of increasing salary of state government employees will be concerns of Gowda in the upcoming budget.The prevailing drought across 123 taluks, crisis on power front, shortage in meeting the target on agriculture produce and slide in AGDP growth in farm sector may cast a shadow on the first ever budget that Gowda will present to the Legislature. It is said the new chief minister may follow the footsteps of Yeddyurappa and no substantial fresh taxes are expected to be levied upon the people, the sources added.