Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 28: Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader, Nawang Rigzin Jora today said that after making tall claims about highest ever devolution of funds under the new scheme of financing, both the Chief Minister and Finance Minister are in Delhi with a begging bowl.
“During the course of budget discussion, I had warned that the State may end up getting lesser money in the kitty than was made to believe”, he said in a statement, adding “Jammu and Kashmir along with North Eastern States belonged to the Special Category where we stood to gain from 90:10 grants to loan ratio as per the previous scheme of financing”.
“Now we have been put to great disadvantage under the new scheme of financing”, Mr Jora said and asked is it the fault of the State that it has both hilly and mountainous terrain; that it has factors of seasonality; that it has high infrastructure index; that it has locational disadvantages; that it has low resource base; that it has problem of viability of projects and economic activities.
“How is the statutory devolution under the new scheme of financing going to help the State”, he further asked, adding “if indeed the State stands to gain, why did Mufti Sayeed had to plead so strongly with the NITI Aayog”.
He further said that Union Budget divided 66 Centrally sponsored schemes under three categories and if the idea was to give more fiscal autonomy and fiscal flexibility why are almost all the States protesting including BJP ruled States.
“Henceforth the Centre will reduce its support to both the fully funded and partially funded schemes and States are expected to meet up the gap from the devolution funds”, the CLP leader said, adding “in this way the plan assistance will get reduced by 50 percent so also flow of funds under CSS”.
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