Tripura wants green bonus from finance panel

Tripura has sought a Rs.2,125 crore green bonus from the 14th Finance Commission as it is ahead in aforestation in the country, Chief Minister Manik Sarkar said here Thursday.

"Our (Tripura's) forest cover is 73 percent (of the state's 10,491.69 sq km area). Our efforts to keep the ecological balance of the country must be appreciated by allocating Rs.2,125 crore as a green bonus," Sarkar told reporters.

"We have also demanded Rs.1,250 crore to mitigate the affect of climate change." he added

Sarkar said that as vast areas were under forest cover, the government is facing a land crisis for developmental work and infrastructural development.

The 14th Finance Commission (2015-16 to 2019-20) led by former Reserve Bank of India governor Y.V. Reddy, after its three-day visit to Tripura ,left here Thursday for Kolkata for talks with the West Bengal governemnt.

Tripura's Left Front government has sought a total of Rs.67,104 crore from the Finance Commission.

The state government urged the panel against depriving of financial aid from the central government as in the past, the chief minister said.

"The 13th Finance Commission had deprived Tripura to a large extent and put the state government in an awkward position in the matter of providing salaries, allowances, pensions to the government employees, pension holders and other vital sectors' development," he added.

Tripura had sought around Rs.27,000 crore from the central government. The 13th Finance Commission had recommended Rs.16,350 crore in 2009.

"Like other states, we have also demanded the Commission to recommend a 50 percent share of central taxes. We urgently need Rs.2,890 crore for infrastructural development in the districts and projects in the education, health, agriculture and irrigation sectors," Sarkar said.

"As the other states in India demanded, we also wanted for equal vertical distribution of central taxes between the centre and the states," he added.

"To take up suitable projects of livelihood for the tribals, we have sought Rs.407 crore from the Finance Commission."

During the deliberations with the panel, the government stressed the need of developing the rail, road and telecommunication network.

"The consequence of the three decades of terrorism in the state has been explained to the commission," Sarkar said.

It is very essential to assess the fund requirements for the state on a realistic basis rather than a normative basis for all northeastern states, Sarkar pointed out.

The six-member 14th Finance Commission will make its recommendations to the central government by Oct 2014 on the sharing of central taxes, principles governing grants-in-aid to states and transfer of resources to local bodies.

Before submitting its recommendation, the commission would visit all the states in India. The panel so far visited 10 states, including three in the northeast - Tripura, Nagaland and Manipur.