Centre paid just Rs 6,140 crore to Maharashtra out of Rs 46,950 crore GST dues: Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari

Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Monday said out of Rs 46950 crore due to the state government as GST compensation the Centre has paid just Rs 6140 crore and Rs 11520 crore as loan by the end of FebruaryAddressing the joint sitting of members of the state Legislature on the first day of the budget session Koshyari said compensation to the tune of Rs 29290 crore is overdue from the central governmentBy the end of February 2021 out of the Rs 46950 crore due to my government as Goods and Services Tax compensation the central government has paid just Rs 6140 crore and Rs 11520 crore as loan for GST compensation the Governor saidKoshyari noted that the coronavirusinduced lockdown slowed down the states economy in addition to medical emergency and natural calamitiesOut of the revenue collection target of Rs 347456 crore the state has collected just Rs 188542 crore at the end of January 2021 which is 35 per cent less than the budgetary estimate and 21 per cent lower than the collection in the same period during the previous year he saidDespite significant reduction in revenue the state has provided priority funding to the departments of public health medical education and drugs relief and rehabilitation food and civil supplies and home during the pandemic the Governor said in his speechTo stimulate the economy my government has provided for 75 per cent of the budgetary provision for capital expenditure and released 100 per cent money to the Local Development Fund DPC schemes and Dongri Vikas Karyakram he saidThe Governor said considering the COVID19 situation and the economic condition the state government is pursuing with the Centre for increasing its Union governments contribution in the central schemesMy government took several measures for control and management of the COVID19 pandemic which have become a model for the rest of the states and even in other countriesMaharashtra has most effectively managed the epidemic by bringing down the number of active cases and successfully dealing with difficult settlements like Dharavi he saidHe said sufficient laboratories were set up for testing infected people in Maharashtra and the state was the first to erect temporary jumbo corona hospitals in record timesThe Mahatma Phule Jeevandaayi Yojana ensured that hospitals could not charge unreasonable rates for treatmentApart from the capacity in government hospitals sufficient beds in private hospitals were reserved for COVID19 patients at reasonable rates he saidThe cost of treatment in private hospitals cost of laboratory tests CT scan masks were regulated to safeguard peoplersquos interest the governor saidTerming the Majhe Kutumb Majhi Jababdari My Family My Responsibility as an innovative health checkup mission in the country he said under the programme all families in the state were surveyed in two roundsThe special survey of highrisk individuals and senior citizens was also done due to which several patients affected by COVID19 infection could be detected This mission helped in preparing the state health map Koshyari saidBy participation of citizens in the management of COVID19 pandemic our state ensured successful control of this epidemic But the battle against COVID19 is still on and now Me Jababdar mission has been launched he saidThe Maharashtra government is implementing the COCID19 vaccination programme and it is also pursuing the Centre for increasing the quota of vaccines for people of the state he addedThe Governor also called for being constantly vigilant about safety measures regarding COVID19 and said there is a serious need to follow physical distancing norms use of face masks and regularly washing hands as the possibility of a second wave is imminentHaving recognised the need for investing in the public health infrastructure the state government has approved the setting up of new medical colleges in Osmanabad Sindhudurg and Nashik and is committed to set up more medical colleges he saidKoshyari further said the Maharashtra government has strongly presented the case of the state in the original suit filed in the Supreme Court on its border dispute with Karnataka and henceforth will continue to present the sameMy government expresses its commitment to the Marathispeaking people of the border areas and is committed to get them justice the Governor saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever