Kerala Congress (M) leader K.M. Mani, MLA, on Tuesday rubbished Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac's statement that the Thirteenth Finance Commission's recommendations would have an adverse impact on the State.
Mr. Mani was participating in the general discussion on the Budget in the Assembly. The 13th Finance Commission's devolution of funds for the State was the highest. It had proposed devolution of higher tax share and grant-in-aid for the State. It had recommended Rs.33,954.3 crore as the State's share of tax and Rs.6,371.5 crore as grant-in-aid as against the 12{+t}{+h} Finance Commission's Rs.16,353.21 crore and Rs.3,254 crore respectively. The total devolution of funds as per the 13{+t}{+h} Finance Commission's recommendation was Rs.40,325.80 crore, which was 107.6 per cent higher than the previous panel's, he said. The State's share for local bodies, special award, calamity relief, roads and bridges, elementary education, water resources management, and forestry was appreciably higher than that recommended by the previous commission, Mr. Mani said. The Finance Minister played with the statistics related to the fall in State's share from 2.6 per cent to 2.3 per cent.
“The commission's recommendations are applicable to all States. But in real terms, the picture is different,” Mr. Mani said. Dr. Isaac had deliberately done this to conceal his poor financial management, he added.
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