Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar thanked Finance Minister Aun Jaitley for announcing special package to Bihar and setting up an AIIMS-like medical institution in the State.
He, however, criticised the increase of Central tax share to State by 10 per cent. “The fact is that though there will be some increase in quantum of money but percentage of increase for Bihar at around 25 per cent as compared to [what] it was getting earlier will be minimum when compared with other States for whom percentage hike will be as high as 50 per cent,” he said.
Mr. Kumar, on Friday, had written a letter to the Prime Minister urging him to take special measures so that Bihar could overcome financial losses due to lower financial allocations under the 14th Finance Commission recommendations.
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“I’ve express my thanks to the Finance Minister whom I earlier met, for declaring special package to Bihar like Andhra Pradesh after creation of Telangana from it and also for an AIIMS-like medical institution,” Mr. Kumar said. He hoped that the assistance would be substantive enough to cover up the loss which will occur to the State due to 14th Finance Commission recommendations.
The Chief Minister said that during his meeting with Mr. Jaitley in Delhi recently he had requested him for an AIIMS-like institution for the people of north Bihar and for special package to backward States like Bihar.
Meanwhile, State BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi sad the budget has a lot for Bihar but since Assembly elections were round the corner Mr. Kumar would criticise it for the sake of opposition only.
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