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Delhi’s due denied in Budget, says Atishi; city got ₹50,000 cr. under various schemes: BJP
Delhi Finance Minister Atishi says the Capital received ‘zero’ rupees from the Central pool of taxes; BJP says Centre has set aside funds for development works, universities, hospitals, among others
Delhi Minister Atishi addressing the media on the Union Budget on Tuesday.
| Photo Credit: SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA
Delhi Finance Minister Atishi on Tuesday lashed out at the BJP-led Union government over the budgetary allocations, saying the national capital had been denied its due despite the city contributing ₹2.32 lakh crore to the Central pool of taxes in the last fiscal.
The BJP rejected the charge, saying the Delhi government had demanded just 10% of what the city residents had paid in taxes to the Centre last year and ended up getting around 25% instead.
Earlier, Ms. Atishi had urged the Centre to provide ₹10,000 crore to her government for infrastructural development, in addition to ₹10,000 crore financial assistance for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).
She had said that last year, Delhi residents paid ₹2.07 lakh crore in income tax and an additional ₹25,000 crore in GST.
Reacting to the Budget, she said Delhi got “zero” rupee as its share. She told reporters that her government had demanded that like all local bodies across the country, the MCD be given financial assistance. However, the civic body had not been allotted a penny.
In response, Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva said the direct budgetary allocation to the Delhi government stood at ₹1,168 crore, apart from ₹11,180 crore allotted as operational cost of the police. He said ₹220 crore had been set aside for the city’s infrastructural development. He added that the city had been allocated funds under various heads, including funds for the Delhi Metro, Centre-run hospitals and universities, and pensions for Central government employees.
“All this adds up to over ₹50,000 crore, which is around 25% of direct taxes collected from Delhi,” Mr. Sachdeva said. He said the Delhi government must stop “misleading people”.
Meanwhile, AAP Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh said the Budget will increase inflation. He said the Centre had neglected farmers, women, youth, and salaried class while providing tax relief to corporate houses. “The Budget failed to address critical issues such as guaranteeing an MSP [minimum support price] for crops to farmers, reinstating the old pension system, and offering tax exemptions on essential items, including petrol and diesel,” he said.
‘Anti-Punjab’
AAP’s Punjab MP Malvinder Singh Kang said fertilisers, seeds, diesel and petrol used by farmers continue to be expensive. “The demand for a legal guarantee of the MSP has been raised for months. The Prime Minister is not concerned about farmers, soldiers, and women.”
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