New Delhi, July 19 – Atishi, the Finance Minister of Delhi, made a compelling demand today for Rs 10,000 crore from the Centre to be allocated towards infrastructure development in the national capital. Addressing the press ahead of the Union Budget presentation, Atishi highlighted Delhi’s significant contributions to national taxes, including Rs 2 lakh crore in income tax and Rs 25,000 crore in central GST.
“Atishi demanded that Delhi should receive Rs 10,000 crore from the Rs 2.07 lakh crore income tax paid by its citizens. This amount represents just 0.25% of the Central government’s budget and 5% of Delhiites’ income tax,” the minister emphasized.
She compared Delhi’s situation with other major cities, stating, “Mumbai contributes Rs 5 lakh crore in taxes and receives Rs 54,000 crore, while Bengaluru receives Rs 33,000 crore from its Rs 2 lakh crore tax contribution.”
The minister criticized the Centre’s allocation to Delhi, noting that despite the city contributing Rs 2.32 lakh crore, not a single rupee was spent by the Centre on Delhi’s development last year. She alleged disparity, citing that even the minimal Rs 325 crore payment from the central pool of taxes, which had been made since 2001, was halted last year.
Atishi outlined the expenditure by the Delhi Government on essential services such as 24-hour free electricity, healthcare, and infrastructure upkeep, amounting to Rs 35,000 crore last year.
Responding to the allegations, Delhi BJP Secretary Harish Khurana countered Atishi’s claims, stating that the Centre had significantly increased funding to Delhi from Rs 4,258 crore in 2015 to Rs 11,945 crore in 2022. He accused Atishi of misrepresenting the facts.
The Finance Minister’s demand for increased funds comes ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s Union Budget presentation on July 23.
