Odisha seeks Rs 7,200 cr for railways in Union Budget 2021-22

Bhubaneswar, Jan 18: The Odisha government on Monday demanded Rs 7,200 crore in the railway sector and Rs 5,650 crore in the telecom sector in the forthcoming Union Budget for 2021-22.Odisha Finance Minister Niranjan Pujari raised some issues concerning to the state in the pre-budget consultations with Finance Ministers of states chaired by the Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.He demanded to make provision of at least Rs 7,200 crore for railway infrastructure in Odisha for the on-going projects, sanctioning of new line, station modernisation, establishment of rail based industries, and multi-modal logistics parks.Pujari also demanded allocation of Rs 5,650 crore in the telecom sector for Odisha.He sought amendment of sub-section (3) of Section 8 of Central Sales Tax Act, 1956 to prohibit misuse of 'C' Forms by the manufacturers, mining contractors and works contractors for interstate purchase of High-Speed Diesel (HSD) paying CST at 2 per cent.The Minister said there should be the provision of sufficient funds for development and maintenance of National Highways, addressing power sector issues, and adequate provision for piped drinking water.He said the Centre should consultation with the state governments before taking any major policy decisions that affect sub-national finances.The Minister demanded to allow states to operate the Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) directly instead of opening separate scheme based bank account, advance indication on Central assistance for CSS and release of funds as per commitment and sharing pattern in CSS for Odisha at par with North-Eastern and Himalayan states.(IANS)