My stand on Central funds vindicated: Ex-CM

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, April 22

Former Chief Minister Harish Rawat today said his stand that Centre was not providing adequate funds to the state had been vindicated with two ministers of the new state government complaining that the present funding pattern of the 14th Finance Commission was not in favour of the state.

In a statement issued today, Harish Rawat said it was a matter of extreme happiness that two ministers in the Trivendra Singh Rawat government, Satpal Maharaj and Madan Kaushik, had expressed their anguish before Central ministers about the state not getting funds in the promised funding pattern ratio of 90:10 by the 14th Finance Commission for Centrally sponsored schemes in the state.

Under the 90:10 ratio, Uttarakhand was supposed to contribute only 10 per cent of the total funds needed for a scheme while the rest was to be paid by Centre. But, the state had to contribute 50:50 for various schemes, he alleged.

Rawat said Madan Kaushik had raised the issue of the Centre’s Amrit Scheme in which the state was getting funds in a 50:50 ratio. Kaushik had urged Union Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu for funding in 90:10 ratio.

The former Chief Minister said Tourism Minister Satpal Maharaj had raised the concern over the Centre’s funding in tourism sector.

“Thus, today my stand has been vindicated. I have been from day one saying that the Centre was not providing funds in a proper manner. The funding pattern for Centrally sponsored schemes by the 14th Finance Commission is not in the interest of states like Uttarakhand,” Harish Rawat said.

Rawat said he was happy that BJP ministers were now understanding his point, which he had raised on several previous occasions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as other Union Ministers. He alleged that BJP, when in opposition in Uttarakhand, failed to understand the Centre-state relations.