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Mumbai: Launching a scathing attack on the Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition government in the state, the Maharashtra unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday accused the MVA government of underutilization of funds to mitigate the Covid-19 crisis.
Mumbai BJP in-charge and Kandivali (East) MLA, Atul Bhatkhalkar said that out of the total fund allocated in the 2020-21 budget, the government has spent only 45 per cent. He said what is more startling is that from the total provision only 31.48 per cent fund has been spent.
“Proper planning and efficiency were expected from the government to tackle the Covid pandemic. However, the state government has shown its inefficiency in utilizing the entire allocated fund. The government has also failed in providing jobs to the people”, criticised Bhatkhalkar.
He said, against the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic, the state’s revenue has declined. The economy of the state has crumbled. In such a scenario, the government should have spent more, he said.
“The Centre has spent more than Rs. 4.25 lakh crore from the total allocated Budget to bring the country’s economy on track. But on the other hand, the Thackeray government has not announced a financial package to the people of the state. Not only that, they have not even spent the total allocated fund, which has thwarted development”, he remarked.
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He further said new avenues to increase the revenue of the state should have been explored.
Taking pot-shots at State Environment Minister, Aditya Thackeray, Bhatkhalkar, called him a “Yuvraj Minister” whose ministry has not spent a single penny from the Budget. He alleged that the air and water pollution in Mumbai, Pune, Thane, Navi Mumbai and Nashik is more than that in Delhi. Despite this, not even a single penny was spent to overcome this issue, he said.
Similarly, Jitendra Awhad’s Housing ministry has spent a meagre 0.44 per cent of the allocated fund. Innovative schemes to provide affordable houses to Mumbaikars, besides, completion of the pending project was expected but his department too did not make full utilization of the fund.
The BJP leader said the health department should have been allocated more funds due to the Covid-19 crisis. However, the health department was given only 60 percent of the total budgetary allocation. “The health ministry did not spend even that fund entirely”, he said.
Bhatkhalkar said, the government hospitals in the state are in poor condition, but even after that the public health department refrained from spending the fund for the improvement of the infrastructure.
He said, in the Budget 2020-21, the announcement was made to hike the MLAs fund from Rs. 2 crores to Rs. 3 crore the Government Resolution of the same was issued on February 24, 2021. From this, the mindset of the Chief Minister, Finance Minister and Maha Vikas Aghadi can be understood.
Maha receives a GST share of Rs 11519 crores – Patil
On Monday (Feb 21, 2021) Maharashtra BJP president, Chandrakant Patil said the Union finance ministry has disbursed Goods and Services Tax (GST) share to the tune of Rs.11,519 crore to the state.
He said the Shiv Sena led-coalition government should utilise this amount to mitigate the Covid crisis and to expedite development projects in the state. Slamming the state government, he said they should not blame the Centre every time.
Patil pointed out that in 2019-20 the Centre had disbursed as much as Rs 19 thousand 2 hundred and 33 crore to Maharashtra.
