<p class="title">Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah on Wednesday dismissed Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa’s special package of Rs 1,610 crore as “too little, too late.” </p>.<p class="bodytext">Siddaramaiah quoted a Kannada adage, saying the special package was akin to buttermilk for the gluttony demon Bakasura’s stomach. </p>.<p class="bodytext">“I had requested the CM to announce Rs 50,000 crore Covid-19 relief package. Now, Yediyurappa has announced a package of just Rs 1,610 crore,” he said, pointing out that the neighbouring Kerala had announced a package worth Rs 20,000 crore. </p>.<p class="bodytext">Flower growers would have spent Rs 50 lakh per acre, but Yediyurappa has announced just Rs 25,000 per hectare. “The government should compensate at least half of their loss.”</p>.<p class="bodytext">The former chief minister also accused the CM of shortchanging construction workers.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“I had requested the CM to provide monthly relief of ₹10,000 to all the 22 lakh registered construction workers. There is Rs 9,000 crore in the construction workers' welfare fund. Yediyurappa has betrayed them by just announcing one-time relief of Rs 2,000 for just 11.8 lakh workers,” he said. </p>.<p class="bodytext">Even farmers have been “completely ignored”, Siddaramaiah said, adding that a revolving fund of Rs 5,000 crore was needed to “allow purchase of produce from farmers at the gram panchayat level.”</p>
<p class="title">Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah on Wednesday dismissed Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa’s special package of Rs 1,610 crore as “too little, too late.” </p>.<p class="bodytext">Siddaramaiah quoted a Kannada adage, saying the special package was akin to buttermilk for the gluttony demon Bakasura’s stomach. </p>.<p class="bodytext">“I had requested the CM to announce Rs 50,000 crore Covid-19 relief package. Now, Yediyurappa has announced a package of just Rs 1,610 crore,” he said, pointing out that the neighbouring Kerala had announced a package worth Rs 20,000 crore. </p>.<p class="bodytext">Flower growers would have spent Rs 50 lakh per acre, but Yediyurappa has announced just Rs 25,000 per hectare. “The government should compensate at least half of their loss.”</p>.<p class="bodytext">The former chief minister also accused the CM of shortchanging construction workers.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“I had requested the CM to provide monthly relief of ₹10,000 to all the 22 lakh registered construction workers. There is Rs 9,000 crore in the construction workers' welfare fund. Yediyurappa has betrayed them by just announcing one-time relief of Rs 2,000 for just 11.8 lakh workers,” he said. </p>.<p class="bodytext">Even farmers have been “completely ignored”, Siddaramaiah said, adding that a revolving fund of Rs 5,000 crore was needed to “allow purchase of produce from farmers at the gram panchayat level.”</p>
