The heavy rainfall has caused huge damage to farmers and their crops in Maharashtra. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has asked the Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government to borrow funds in order to provide relief to those affected instead of waiting for the aid from the central government.
Reacting to this, Maharashtra Revenue Minister Balasaheb Thorat said that the delay in paying Goods and Services Tax (GST) returns by the centre has contributed to the worsening of the financial condition of the state.
“BJP leaders asking us to take loans to help the farmers is not a sin, but not paying the GST dues to the state is definitely problematic,” Thorat said while adding that Maharashtra was already in a financial crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Thorat, senior Congress leader, has demanded the central government to clear Maharashtra’s GST dues worth ₹30,000 crores immediately. He said that the monsoon has damaged crops on thousands and lakhs of hectares.
“Given the situation, the central government should extend a helping hand and refund the pending GST dues to the state. However, this has not happened yet. The state government is yet to receive the refund and help regarding the damages caused due to heavy rainfall,” Thorat said.
He further informed that the Maharashtra government has raised ₹55,000 crores for salaries and daily expenses through loans. Maharashtra pays the highest taxes to the central government but no help is provided, the minister added.
Earlier, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray asked the centre to provide help for those affected due to the heavy rainfall in western and central Maharashtra. The torrential downpour has resulted in floods, landslides and severe water-logging in many low-lying areas. While at least 48 people have lost their lives, over 7 lakh hectares of crops such as cotton, sugarcane, pomegranate etc. have been damaged.
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