Kerala seeks nod for 1% ‘ad hoc borrowing’ in 2023-24
The Hindu
Kerala seeks 1% GSDP borrowing increase from Centre to offset resource loss. FM Balagopal asked for release of grants, arrears due to State. Loss of ₹8,400 cr Revenue Deficit Grant & ₹10-12K cr GST comp. FM seeks ₹265 cr Million-Plus Cities, ₹371 cr Health Grant, ₹521 cr IGNDPS, ₹750 cr 7th UGC Pay Revision & ₹1,925 cr Part I Scheme.
The State government has urged the Centre to allow it an ‘‘ad hoc borrowing increase’‘ of 1% of the GSDP above the ceiling set for the 2023-24 fiscal in view of the resource loss suffered by the State.
Finance Minister K. N. Balagopal conveyed the State’s requirement to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman at a meeting in New Delhi on Wednesday. Mr. Balagopal has also asked the Centre to urgently release money due to the State under various grants, schemes and pending arrears.
After the meeting, Mr. Balagopal said Kerala was likely to face fiscal constraints of a more severe nature in 2023-24 compared to previous years. Nevertheless, the State government hopes to negotiate the fiscal situation without it disrupting salary and pension payments and development spending, he said.
In 2023-24, Kerala will be deprived of around ₹8,400 crore in Revenue Deficit Grant compared to 2022-23, and around ₹10,000 crore to ₹ 12,000 crore due to the cessation of GST compensation, he said. The State will also face a resource loss of around ₹8,000 crore due to the restrictions on open market borrowing limit.
Mr. Balagopal has also sought urgent steps from the Centre to release various payments that are due to the State. Out of the ₹265 crore ‘Million-Plus Cities’ for 2022-23, ₹51.55 crore is pending. In the case of the Health Grant for 2021-22, a total of ₹ 371.36 crore is pending.
Likewise, the State is yet to be reimbursed an amount of ₹ 521.95 crore towards the central share in the Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme, the Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme, and the Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme.
Delhi's pollution levels slightly decrease, nearing 'poor' category, with AQI at 301, haze persists, health risks remain.
Howrah GRP and CID uncover inter-State links to 'serial killer' targeting handicapped and women passengers on moving trains.
ISKCON Bangladesh denounces arrest of Chinmoy Krishna Das, demands justice and peaceful coexistence for Sanatanis in Bangladesh.
Maharashtra Congress president criticizes Mahayuti's delay in choosing CM, alleging BJP's control and EVM irregularities in election.
Meta’s WhatsApp took its fight against the European Data Protection Board to Europe’s highest court.
“Writing, in general, is a very solitary process,” says Yauvanika Chopra, Associate Director at The New India Foundation (NIF), which, earlier this year, announced the 12th edition of its NIF Book Fellowships for research and scholarship about Indian history after Independence. While authors, in general, are built for it, it can still get very lonely, says Chopra, pointing out that the fellowship’s community support is as valuable as the monetary benefits it offers. “There is a solid community of NIF fellows, trustees, language experts, jury members, all of whom are incredibly competent,” she says. “They really help make authors feel supported from manuscript to publication, so you never feel like you’re struggling through isolation.”
Manoj Kumar, a talented artist with a disability, paints vibrant murals at Sabarimala, narrating the story of Lord Ayyappa.
Lieutenant General Karanbir Singh Brar assesses operational readiness and administrative effectiveness in Hyderabad and Secunderabad military facilities.
Supreme Court ruling on socialism, secularism
Several principals of government and private schools in Delhi on Tuesday said the Directorate of Education (DoE) circular from a day earlier, directing schools to conduct classes in ‘hybrid’ mode, had caused confusion regarding day-to-day operations as they did not know how many students would return to school from Wednesday and how would teachers instruct in two modes — online and in person — at once. The DoE circular on Monday had also stated that the option to “exercise online mode of education, wherever available, shall vest with the students and their guardians”. Several schoolteachers also expressed confusion regarding the DoE order. A government schoolteacher said he was unsure of how to cope with the resumption of physical classes, given that the order directing government offices to ensure that 50% of the employees work from home is still in place. On Monday, the Commission for Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) had, on the orders of the Supreme Court, directed schools in Delhi-NCR to shift classes to the hybrid mode, following which the DoE had issued the circular. The court had urged the Centre’s pollution watchdog to consider restarting physical classes due to many students missing out on the mid-day meals and lacking the necessary means to attend classes online. The CAQM had, on November 20, asked schools in Delhi-NCR to shift to the online mode of teaching.
Tamil Nadu rain weather LIVE updates: Follow The Hindu’s live coverage of the Tamil Nadu rains on November 27, 2024