Agartala: Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar today urged the Centre to retain the special category status to the state like earlier and provide a special grant of Rs 17,780 crore for the next five years to manage the expenditure gap.
In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Chief Minister said an additional grant of Rs 3,556 Crore be given annually for the next five years, as the award of 14th Finance Commission (FC) could not fulfill the legitimate demands of the state despite hiking the share of Central Taxes to 42 percent from the existing 32 percent and increase of 243 percent non-plan revenue grants.
In his letter, Mr Sarkar described Northeastern states in general and Tripura in particular which could not elevate its status from special category states because of lopsided development of the Union government since independence.
The genuine demands of Tripura like green bonus of Rs 2,125 crore between 2015-16 and 2019-20 for maintaining clean environment was not turned down by 14th Finance Commision along with the grant of Rs 1,250 Crore for climate change mitigation and adaptations.
He however, pointed out that the Finance Commission has awarded only Rs 31,308.76 Crore for the next five years as against the state’s demand of Rs 64,215.03 Crore.
As a result, the financial burden of the state has remained an issue of concern for the state government.
Moreover, the scope of re-adjustment and compensation of annual deficit was reduced after scrapping the Planning Commission.
Besides, the state expected arrears of Rs 2,200 Crore from the 14th Finance Commission but it has not happened. (UNI)
