Finance Minister Sitharaman said, Center has released all the funds to Karnataka
New Delhi: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday said the Center has timely released all the funds due to the Karnataka government, as recommended by the Finance Commission from time to time.
Besides, Karnataka has also been provided interest free loan for 50 years for infrastructure development activities, Sitharaman said while replying to the debate on Union Interim Budget, Jammu and Kashmir Interim Budget and Supplementary Demands for Grants.
The budget and relevant appropriation bills were approved by the Lok Sabha by voice vote.
“I want to assure the House that whatever the Finance Commission has recommended, I have followed it till the last word,” she wondered, “where Karnataka has refused to give money”.
Reiterating the figures, he said, as per the recommendation of the 13th Finance Commission, Rs 61,691 crore was provided to Karnataka, while Rs 1,51,309 crore was provided as per the recommendation of the 14th Finance Commission.
He said that compared to the five-year tenure of the 15th Finance Commission, Rs 1,29,854 crore has been made available to the state in four years.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has alleged “injustice” by the Center on transfer of tax share to the state and staged a protest in Delhi in support of the demand.
Referring to price rise, he said retail inflation is stable and has come within the tolerance range as a result of steps taken by the government to curb price rise especially of perishable goods.
India’s retail inflation has declined from an average of 6.8 percent in April-December 2022 to 5.5 percent in the same period in 2023. Retail inflation is now stable and within the notified tolerance band of 2 per cent to 6 per cent.
The minister said that to prevent volatility in onion prices, the government has increased its buffer size from 1 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) in 2020-21 to 7 LMT in 2023-24. Till February 3, 2024, a total of 6.32 LMT onions were procured and 3.96 LMT Grade-A onions were released through retail sale, e-NAM auction and bulk sale.
Bharat has also introduced branded ‘Bharat Dal’ through which chana dal is made available at Rs 60 per kg for a pack and Rs 55 per kg for a 30 kg pack. Till January 30, 2024, 2.97 lakh metric tonnes of gram has been sold. ‘Bharat Dal’, which comes at subsidized prices, is available in all retail markets.
Retail inflation based on Consumer Price Index (CPI) stood at 5.69 percent in December 2023.
Sitharaman also said that while the workforce has increased, the unemployment rate has declined significantly. He also said that the number of people enrolled in EPFO has increased significantly.
