‘Bengal to benefit hugely from Finance Commission award’

Rejecting criticism that West Bengal has not gained from the 14th Finance Commission, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday said the state will get Rs 2,85,200 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 Rs 1,03,539 crore. Between 2015-20, this amount will increase to Rs 2,85,200 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 Rs 42,029.22 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.