Harish Rao urges Centre to release pending amounts
The Hindu
‘New State is strapped for funds’
Finance Minister Harish Rao has requested the Central government to release pending amounts under different heads at the earliest as the new State is “strapped for funds”.
In a memorandum submitted to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman, he said that the State was yet to get funds to be released towards TS share in the IGST, special assistance for backward regions as promised in the AP Reorganisation Act 2014, and special grant recommended by the Finance Commission. The Centre, he said, left ₹13,944 crore under IGST for 2018-19 unapportioned and the amount was retained in the consolidated fund of India.
Of the total, the State’s share worked out to be ₹352 crore (4.08% of the 50% share amounting to ₹281 crore and ₹71 crore through tax devolution). The estimated amount released through tax devolution was ₹142 crore leaving a balance of ₹210 crore.
The election authorities are gearing up for the counting of votes cast in the simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh, scheduled to be held on June 4. The Collectors and Election Officers of Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli and Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) districts said on May 23 (Thursday) that their teams were ready for the counting of votes.
Responding to the prolonged water scarcity, the residents of the area took to the streets in protest on Wednesday. The protest, which drew attention to their plight, stopped only after the intervention of the police. It was not until 1.30 p.m. that a 4000-litre tanker was finally delivered by BWSSB, providing relief to the water-starved residents.