Jharkhand seeks 50% central tax devolution

Ranchi, May 30 (PTI) The Jharkhand government on Friday appealed to the Sixteenth Finance Commission to raise the vertical devolution of central taxes from the existing 41 per cent to 50 per cent.

A finance commission team, headed by its chairman Dr Arvind Panagariya, held discussions with the state government. Jharkhand Finance Minister Radhakrishna Kishore and Chief Secretary Alka Tiwari were present during the meeting.

"Increase the vertical devolution share from 41 per cent to 50 per cent," the state government appealed to the panel.

The commission also held a series of meetings with representatives from local bodies, trade organisations, industry associations, chambers of commerce, and political parties.

The finance commission team on Thursday visited Jharkhand's temple town of Deoghar and offered obeisance at the Baba Baidyanath temple.

The finance panel also held discussions with representatives of panchayati raj institutions and administrators of urban local bodies from all six districts of Santhal Pargana.

The delegation had arrived in Ranchi on Wednesday on a four-day visit to Jharkhand and met Chief Minister Hemant Soren.

The CM sought support from the finance commission for the all-around development of various sectors and communities in the state.

"Jharkhand contributes significantly to the country's development as a state with extensive mining activities. But, it also faces consequences, such as environmental degradation, displacement of people, and loss of land. The land reclamation work by central mining companies is not being carried out in a planned manner," Soren told the commission members.

He also sought autonomy to utilise financial resources according to the needs of the local population, as each state has different requirements.

The Centre's vision of 'Viksit Bharat' could be realised through the development of states and villages, Soren said.

"A large population of the state depends on agriculture. So, agriculture and allied activities are a focus area for the government. Jharkhand has significant potential in the farming sector," he added.

There is a need for special efforts in priority areas such as health, education, and livelihoods, Soren said.

The team is scheduled to return to Delhi on May 31.

Jharkhand has prepared a Rs 1.45 lakh-crore budget for the ongoing fiscal, with a whopping Rs 62,844 crore earmarked for social welfare programmes to help the poor, women and other vulnerable groups.

For its popular Jharkhand Mukhyamantri Maiya Samman Yojana, which aims to enhance the financial security and well-being of women in the age bracket of 18-50 years, it allocated Rs 13,363 crore.

Besides, Rs 5,000 crore has been allocated towards providing free electricity.

Last month, the chief minister called for a provision in the Coal Bearing Areas (Acquisition and Development) (CBA) Act, requiring companies to return land to the state government after mining activities.

The CM also demanded the release of Rs 1.40 lakh crore, owed by mining companies, at the recent NITI Aayog Governing Council meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.