Thaindian News

Agartala, Nov 15 (IANS) Stricken with severe fiscal crisis, the Left Front government in Tripura has sought a Rs.14,600 crore ($2.8 billion) financial package from the central government to tide over the crisis, an official said here Tuesday.

Chief Minister Manik Sarkar accompanied by state Finance Minister Badal Choudhury met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi Monday and submitted the demand.

“The central government recently decided to provide huge financial support to the West Bengal, Assam and Mizoram governments, but it is yet to even react to the Tripura government’s demand for an additional financial package,” the official told IANS on condition of anonymity.

“Sarkar had written a letter to the prime minister and also union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee for fiscal aid to overcome the unprecedented financial crisis facing the state in view of the erroneous recommendations of the 13th Finance Commission (TFC),” the official added.

According to the official, in view of the serious economic crisis, developmental works, new recruitments in government departments and outstanding payments to 212,500 government employees and pension holders are likely to be affected.

Tripura sought around Rs.27,000 crore but the TFC had recommended the sanctioning of about Rs.16,350 crore in 2009. Its report was accepted by the centre last year.

Choudhury, also a member of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) central committee, had asked: “If the central government considers support and grants financial assistance on political outlook, how would the federal structure of India’s governance be strengthened?”

Referring to the central government’s decision to give financial packages to the Trinamool Congress-led government in West Bengal and Congress-ruled Assam and Mizoram governments, the state finance minister had said: “The centre should also respond to our demand positively.”

The opposition Congress in the state blames the financial crisis in Tripura on the “financial mismanagement of the Left Front government”.

Congress with an eye to the state assembly elections in early 2013 has demanded an emergency audit of the Tripura government’s accounts by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG).

Opposition leader Ratan Lal Nath said the Left Front government had been undemocratically challenging parliament and a constitutional body like the finance commission.

“Like in West Bengal, the Left Front government in Tripura before the assembly polls in 2013 has been trying to exhaust the state’s financial exchequer,” the Congress leader alleged.