No funds, govt sought 3k cr from RBI: Awhad

Mumbai: The finance department, led by deputy CM Ajit Pawar, on Monday rebutted the claim of NCP (SP) leader Jitendra Awhad that the Mahayuti govt will not be able to implement any of the populist schemes due to a lack of funds.
"The debt burden of the state govt has crossed Rs 8 lakh crore. In the recent past, govt has declared populist schemes worth Rs 1 lakh crore.Under such circumstances, govt does not have even basic funds. To tackle the situation, it has asked RBI to release Rs 3,000 crore as early as possible," Awhad said.
A high-ranking finance department bureaucrat termed his contention incorrect, saying the state's finances are well within control. "We are well off; all schemes will be implemented in a time-bound period," he said. He said in view of the financial situation of the state and the revenue receipts, govt can secure aid of up to Rs 1 lakh crore from RBI for the year. "It's not just Maharashtra. Most states are using that facility." He said so far, the state govt has secured Rs 75,000 crore from RBI, while another Rs 10,000 crore will be available in the current month. "We are following the norms and rules prescribed by RBI," he said.
The finance department had recently said pre-poll sops were among the reasons the state faces a massive burden. The Ladki Bahin scheme alone places an annual burden of Rs 46,000 crore on the state.