CM urges 16 th FC to increase awards, says CM Manik Saha
Agartala, Jan 31, 2025, By Our Correspondent
a, Jan. 31: Chief Minister Manik Saha on Friday said the state government has urged the 16th Finance Commission to increase the awards for the northeastern state.“We have had discussion on various issues with the 16th Finance Commission… In the recent devastating floods, the state has suffered a loss of Rs. 15,000 crore. We have also explained why the state government fails to provide DA to their employees. This was because of deprivation by the 14th Finance Commission”, he told the reporters.Saha said, “We have also mentioned the infrastructure development carried out in the state. The 16th Finance Commission has appreciated the state’s fiscal discipline. The state would be bankrupt had we not maintained discipline in fiscal management”.He said the government has also highlighted the state’s dense forest coverage (73 percent) and shortage of plain land which is required for setting up big industries.“Since the state absorbs more carbon dioxide because of dense forest coverage, we sought to hike the special award from 10 percent to 20 percent. The 15th Finance Commission has introduced 10 percent special award to those states which have dense forest coverage”, he said