NAGPUR: Painting a grim picture of the state’s financial condition, deputy CM and finance minister
Ajit Pawar on Sunday said the
revenue shortfall
in 2020-21 may go up to Rs1 lakh crore.
Addressing a ‘Meet the Press’ at Nagpur Patrakar Club, he said, “The revenue
shortfall
at present is Rs75,000 crore. If we don’t get expected amount of revenue from state sources and if the Centre does not give our full share of taxes, then the deficit may go up to Rs 1 lakh crore.”
He said that the Centre’s payment of the state’s share of taxes was short by Rs 25,000 crore. “In spite of the financial condition, we have not reduced allocation to departments like public health, home etc,” said Pawar.
The NCP leader slammed the Central government over the handling of the farmers’ agitation. “They put nails on roads to prevent farmers from reaching Delhi. This has happened for the first time after Independence,” he said.
On the speech delivered by Sharjeel Usmani at Elgar Parishad in Pune, Pawar said that in future the state government may ask the organizers to not allow certain persons to express their views during the event if it can create discord in society.