R. ARIVANANTHAM
CHENNAI, FEB 8
The Union government is releasing funds to the states according to the recommendations of the 14th Finance Commission recommendations and would also fully honour the recommendations of the 15th Finance Commission, said the Union Finance Minister Nirmala Seetharaman here on Saturday.
Speaking to reporters after a debate over the budget with different stake holders in Chennai, the minister told reporters that the central government has no plan to cut the funds for the states.
She also stated that the government will soon return the share of GST to Tamil Nadu government in two instalments.
Regarding the payments to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector, the Finance Minister said: “During September, October, and November, we worked hard to ensure the payments to them are cleared. Nearly 60 per cent of the amount, which was pending, has been cleared.”
Finance Secretary Rajiv Kumar, who was also present on the occasion, said that helping agriculture in the country was one of the main focus of the Union Budget.
“There is a total allocation of Rs 2.83 lakh crore for agriculture sector. This covers water-deficient districts and others. Over and above, there is an agriculture credit of Rs 15 lakh crore, which is an increase from Rs 12 lakh crore, which was given earlier,” said Kumar.
Sitharaman said that a similar interaction will be held in Kolkata on Sunday too, which will be followed by a few other cities too.
