From Our Correspondent
AGARTALA: Tripura Finance Minister Badal Chowdhury on Thursday alleged the 13th Finance Commission has deprived the Left ruled Tripura to teach a lesson for not implementing reforms.
In spite of pressure from UPA government, the Left Front has been against implementing some major anti people policies like new pension policy, ban on fresh recruitment and winding up loss making Pubic Sector Undertakings (PSUs), he said at press conference here on Thursday.
Asserting that this stand might have angered the Congress government at the Centre that resulted in less allocation of outlay by the 13th Finance Commission, Chowdhury made it clear that the government would not buckle to the pressure.
He admitted that the less-award had shrunken the state’s prudent financial position because of unrealistic assessment while assessing non-plan expenditure.
The 13th Finance Commission has awarded Rs. 16,500 crore while the state had demanded Rs. 27,000 crore to meet the non-plan expenditure.
“Had the 13th Finance Commission been considered 2009-10 FY as base year while determining the non-plan expenditure, the state’s financial position would have been better”, he claimed.
On the Centre’s response on state’s special sops to tide over the situation, Chowdhury said, “So far, we have not received anything positive even after Chief Minister Manik Sarkar’s meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
It may be noted that Chief Minister had met Prime Minister and urged a financial package amounting to Rs. 10,600 crore to tide over the unprecedented financial crisis in November.
On being asked about release of pending 31 percent Dearness Allowance (DA), he replied “The financial position of the state is very dismal and the government is contemplating to place a revised budget to assess the actual financial need of each department.
The government, however, will look into issue after completing whole task”.
The government requires Rs. 32 crore annually to release 1 percent DA to this 1.50 lakh employees and pensioners.