Rejecting criticism that West Bengal has not gained from the 14th Finance Commission, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday said the state will get Rs2,85,200 crore during 2015-20, which is nearly three times the amount it received in the previous five years of UPA-2 regime. In a Facebook post, Jaitley said that despite a huge benefit to the state under the 14th Finance Commission, “can it at all be said that West Bengal has not gained.”
He posted the comments in response to 'some friends' in West Bengal who had asked for greater central assistance to the state. “During 2010-15, West Bengal received a total tax devolution of Rs1,03,539 crore. Between 2015-20, this amount will increase to Rs2,85,200 crore,” Jaitley said. He said that to know how much West Bengal gets from the Centre, the impact of the 14th Finance Commission on the finances of state has to be understood.
In the last full year of the UPA Government (2013-14), West Bengal received a total amount of tax devolution, Finance Commission grants and planned transfers of Rs42,029.22 crore.
“In the first full year of the NDA Government -- 2015-16, this amount will be raised to Rs 63,578 crore,” the post said. In 2014-15, the share from tax devolution, Finance Commission grants and Plan transfer (CASP) was Rs45,764 crore. Further, Jaitley said this year the Centre has some untied funds of Rs20,000 crore with the NITI Aayog and Rs15,000 crore that was referred to in the Budget speech. "West Bengal is likely to get some of this amount," he added.
The 14th Finance Commission has recommended a record 10 per cent increase in the states' share in the Union taxes to 42 per cent. The recommendations have been accepted by the Centre.