After a two-day meeting with representatives of the Karnataka government, the 15th Finance Commission on Tuesday raised concerns over the poverty level in Karnataka and stagnant or negative agriculture growth.
"We were told that poverty rate here is 21 per cent. Considering the per capita income of the state, it should be significantly lower. We expected this to be well below 20 per cent. This represents the classic irony of two different Karnatakas," said Nand Kishore Singh, chairperson of the Commission.