MYSURU: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday dismissed the state government’s claim that Karnataka is not getting its due share of funds from the Centre.
Participating in an interaction programme organised here by the Thinkers’ Forum, she termed the claim “utterly baseless” and clarified that the Centre has been releasing Karnataka’s share of funds as and when required.
All funds payable to Karnataka have been released. But if the due process of an audited certificate has not been received by the Centre, then it cannot release funds.
Sitharaman said if the amount claimed by the state government is not part of the final recommendations of the Finance Commission, the Centre cannot release it. She stressed the need to differentiate between genuine financial allocations and misinterpretations aimed at confusing the people.
Sitharaman said that she will send a Kannada version of the Finance Commission’s recommendations to the state government to clear its doubts.
She said Karnataka’s economy was doing well till a few months ago. The state government is now accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of not giving money to run its welfare schemes.
Why guarantees if govt has no funds: Nirmala
“I am not against anything that any government wants to give. But only if you have worked out the finances and if provisions are made, then it should be provided,” Sitharaman said, categorically mocking the Congress government in the state.
She said, “Approximately, Rs 60,000 crore is needed to implement the guarantee schemes. If you don’t have money, why did you announce the guarantees and now accuse PM Modi. It is not Modi’s fault, it is your fault. If you don’t have money and budgetary provisions for them or have failed to work out the finances, why did you make such promises?”
On the state government approaching the Supreme Court, accusing the Centre of denying financial assistance for drought management, she said every citizen of the country has the right to approach a court of law for justice. “But I also have a duty to submit all facts before the court,” she added.