Meghalaya seeks Rs 1.14 lakh crore from 16th Finance Commission
Shillong: The Meghalaya government has submitted a memorandum to the 16th Finance Commission, requesting Rs 1,14,745 crore in grants over a five-year period.
Chief Minister Conrad Sangma presented the proposal to Commission Chairman Arvind Panagariya.
The state government has identified 12 critical sectors that require funding, with a total allocation of Rs 43,251 crore.
Road connectivity tops the list with a requested grant of Rs 14,750 crore, followed by power sector at Rs 6,207 crore and water sector at Rs 4,122 crore.
Other key sectors include urban development, tourism, education, health and nutrition, agriculture, youth engagement, improving administration, forest and environment, and private sector development.
In addition to funding for critical sectors, the state government has sought Rs 69,324 crore to address the pre-devolution gap, Rs 500 crore for State Public Sector Enterprises (SPSEs), and Rs 1,670 crore as grants to local bodies.
The Meghalaya government has also made a case for an increase in vertical devolution of taxes from the current 41% to 50% of the divisible pool.
Furthermore, they have proposed a larger share of horizontal devolution based on forest and ecology, increasing from 10% to 15%.
The state has also suggested introducing a new criteria for rural dispersion population with a weightage of 2.5-5% and considering the quality of expenditure with a weightage of 2.5%.