Patna: An all party meeting here yesterday unanimously demanded allocation of Rs four lakh crore from the 14th Finance Commission to Bihar to meet the additional burden of the new pay commission and speed up development process.
This was mooted by former Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar Sushil Kumar Modi and endorsed by representatives of all parties including the ruling JD(U) in a joint memorandum.
The memorandum to be send to the 14th Finance Commission was prepared after detailed discussion by members of all parties at a meeting organised by ADRI (Asian Development Research Institute) headed by noted economist Saibal Gupta here.
Presenting the views of BJP, Sushil Modi, who held the finance portfolio when the party was part of the NDA government in the state, said the Centre should distribute non-tax receipts among states so that they get more funds for development.
He also demanded determination of interest rate on arrears paid by the state government.
Sushil Modi also sought funds to meet additional expenses for the state government to implement recommendations of the seventh pay commission.
Expressing views of the ruling JD(U), Water Resources minister Vijay Chaudhary stressed on paying special attention on solution to floods which is an annual event in the state and emphasised on greater allocation in the field of power.
Former Congress state president Anil Sharma said if some state finds fault with the terms of reference of the 14th Finance Commission, it should be revisited.
RJD's Ashok Kumar Sinha said floods in Bihar should be declared as national calamity
CPI(M)'s U N Mishra suggested the state's demand to 14th Finance Commission should be development oriented and not fund-oriented.
Representatives from Bihar Industries Association, PHDCCI and CII state unit also attended the meeting.
The 14th Finance Commission headed by former RBI Governor Y V Reddy has to submit its report by October 31, 2014.
