Bihar deputy CM Sushil Modi writes to Sitharaman seeking grants for Bihar

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi has written to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, requesting her to release Rs 7,434 crore grants, recommended by the 15th Finance Commission, within this quarter of the current fiscal amid declining state revenue due to coronavirus lockdown. 

He requested her to release Rs 5, 018 crores for panchayat raj institutions and Rs 2,416 crore for urban local bodies for the financial year 2020-21, as per the recommendation of the Finance Commission, according to news agency PTI.

If the amount is released in the first quarter of the fiscal, it will be helpful for the government to implement piped drinking water project and drainage scheme, the state finance minister wrote in the letter.

The deputy chief minister also urged the Centre to extend funds for payment of salaries of the university teachers and the central share of Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan.

An amount of Rs 2,499 crore under the SSA programme will be spent to pay salaries of contractual teachers in the first quarter.

Besides, around Rs 999 crore will be used towards salary payment to university teachers in this April-June quarter, the state finance minister said.

He said an amount of Rs 767 crore has already been paid to universities for salary payment, as per the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission.

According to the guidelines laid down by the UGC, 50 per cent of it has to be borne by the central government, he added. 

(With inputs from PTI)