At the pre-Budget consultations of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley with state finance ministers on Thursday, ministers representing state governments run by Congress, Left parties and regional parties flagged the revenue drop faced by states after the goods and services tax (GST) roll out and flagged agrarian distress.
Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Modi, who represented the Janata Dal (United)-Bharaitya Janata Party (BJP) coalition government in his state, demanded more central assistance for key schemes and revise wages for unskilled workers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). He suggested the Centre advance the fiscal year to start