The financial health of Uttarakhand is all set to improve with the 13th Finance Commission granting Rs 20,308.10 crore to the hill state for 2010-15.
The state had sought Rs 40,000 crore from the commission. Top officials here are of the view that if the allocated funds are spent properly and honestly, the economic condition of the hill state can surely improve. “It all depends how the government utilises all these funds,” said the officials.
Last time, Uttarakhand got Rs 12,194 crore from the 12th Finance Commission.
The state is taking pride this time in getting Rs 1,000 crore as a special performance incentive which it only shares with other states like Sikkim and Assam.
Uttarakhand’s share in central taxes zoomed to Rs 16, 225 crore this time compared to Rs 5,762.22 crore last time. For the local bodies, the aid has been increased to Rs 781 crore from Rs 196 crore.
For the improvement of roads and bridges, the grant this time is Rs 329 crore. In addition to this, the state has also got Rs 700 crore under the state-specific grants category where Rs 100 crore is for improving tourism infrastructure. "On whole, the picture is very good, since Rs 20,308 crore is a very big amount for a small state like Uttarakhand. Let's see how we improve ourselves," said the official.
In the last meeting held with Vijay L Kelkar, chairman of the 13th Finance Commission, Uttarakhand had sought Rs 40,000 crore for the state.