The penultimate full budget that CM Siddaramaiah presented on Wednesday presented its fair share of goodies to the coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi. The only sore point in the budget was a reiteration of government’s commitment to completing the Yettinahole project and lifting of water from the same. The project has been the bone of contention with the Greens in the district vehemently opposed to the same. The major benefits accruing to the fisheries sector is the extension of jetty up to 75m in Malpe and Mangaluru fishing harbours for safe landing of boats for which Rs 5 crore has been set aside. The government will provide subsidy of 75% to 20 Fishermen Cooperative Societies for construction of 500 sq feet fish collection and marketing building on their own sites at a unit cost of Rs 10 lakh, Siddaramaiah, who also holds the finance portfolio said. The government has increased the electricity subsidy to Rs 1.75 per unit and to Rs 3.50 lakh per plant/annum for 200 ice-plants and 35 cold storages in 3 coastal districts by setting aside Rs 6 crore for the purpose. Ice is a major component in the fisheries industries and fishermen have been demanding ice at subsidized rates. The government will cover 3,000 beneficiaries under “Matsashraya Scheme”; and implement the same through Rajiv Gandhi Housing Corporation. In a bid to assuage hurt feelings of people of DK district on account of implementation of Yettinahole project and lack of major irrigation schemes, CM announced construction of vented dams under “Paschima Vahini” project and allocated Rs 100 crore for it. The district Wenlock Hospital here will be upgraded at a cost of Rs 10 crores and a regional and higher children health institute will be established in the very same hospital at a cost of Rs 3 crore. Meeting a long standing commitment to the minority community, the CM has announced an allocation of Rs 10 crore for construction of Haj Bhavan in Mangaluru. Out of the new ITIs to be established, Karkala in Udupi district will get one. Udupi will get one of the three new sports academies that the government intends to set up, namely for swimming at Udupi. A special provision of Rs 2.25 crore for development works in 9 naxal affected taluks, CM said. Taking forward the agenda of Smart Cities, Karnataka CM has released Rs 800 crore to Belagavi, Davangere, Hubballi-Dharwad, Shivamogga, Mangaluru and Tumakuru covered under the Smart City Mission; works under which will begin this year. Development of 418.5-km roads under KSHIP-III with ADB second tranche loan amounting to Rs 5,310 crore, the Bengaluru-Magadi NH 75 stretch connecting Nelamangala-Mangaluru will be developed. Giving a fillip to local infrastructure, the government has set aside Rs 50 crore for development of 2.50-kms road on Mangaluru-Athradi State Highway connecting Mangalore International Airport (MIA) at Kenjar. The government has also expressed its intent to submit a proposal to GoI for the expansion of runway at MIA including acquisition of 286 acres of land, CM said while assuring that the state government will provide necessary facilities for this much touted project. The state-of-the-art planetarium at Pilikula Regional Science Centre at Moodushedde on the city outskirts will be made operational before December 2017 at an estimated cost of Rs 35.69 crore. On the tourism front, the CM has pledged support for organising national annual surfing festival’ at Sasihitlu beach, some 20-kms from here. The first edition of the event held in May last was a major draw drawing surfers of repute from India and abroad.