Kejriwal demands Rs 4,087 crore for civic bodies from Centre

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday demanded Rs 4,087 crore from the Centre as special grant-in-aid for civic bodies in the national Capital. The Centre has omitted Delhi and other union territories from receiving grant-in-aid following the 14th Finance Commission’s recommendations. Calling the move “unfair”, CM wrote a letter to PM Modi saying the three municipal bodies in Delhi perform the same function as municipalities in other states. “This argument is completely unfair as the omission of the local bodies of Delhi by the Finance Commission on technical grounds does not fulfil the mandate. 

Further, taxation and other fiscal powers of the Delhi government are also similar to other states,” Kejriwal said. The chief minister said the civic bodies are already reeling under a financial crunch and the central government should consider this issue accordingly.