COVID-19: Pawar writes to PM, seeks financial aid for Maha
NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday
wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking a "suitable" financial assistance to Maharashtra to overcome the challenges created by the coronavirus crisis.
In the letter, also addressed to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Pawar pointed out that due to the COVID-19 outbreak and the lockdown, Maharashtra would face a shortfall of Rs 1 lakh crore to sustain the projected expenditure, and urged the Centre to release additional grants of that amount to the state.
"The revenue receipts projected in the 2020-2021 Maharashtra Budget are about Rs 3,47,000 crore and the economic activity is not likely to pick up much in the short term and may improve slightly in the medium term," he said in the letter.
"Accordingly, as per the revised estimates, the expected revenue shortfall would be Rs 1,40,000 crore. This is around 40 per cent of the expected revenue and will leave a huge hole in the state's finances," he added.
The former Union ...