The Cabinet will meet on Monday to decide on whether to extend the lockdown till May 31 with further easing of curbs, Puducherry Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy said on Sunday.
Addressing a press conference, he said the Cabinet would also take a call on whether to reopen liquor outlets, which had remained shut since March 24.
The government was exploring ways to improve the fiscal situation through revenue generation, Mr. Narayanasamy said. Madras School of Economics, which had conducted a comprehensive study into the fiscal status and revenue sources, would soon be submitting its report on revenue generation, he added.
The government’s view has been that it was eligible for 41% of its revenue as grants by the Centre, Mr. Narayanasamy said.
The Chief Minister lauded Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s announcement of raising the borrowing limit for the States from the present 3% to 5% of the GDP during 2021.
“I have raised with the Prime Minister, the appeal to hike the borrowing limit. The decision will provide relief to States,” he said.
While also welcoming the allocation of ₹40,000 crore to the MGNREGA, which would revive the rural economy, he dubbed the economic package of ₹20 lakh crore as a rehash of the existing schemes in the 2020-21 Budget, which is aimed at increasingly opening up sensitive sectors to for private players.
