ITANAGAR, Oct 31: The Union government has released an additional Rs 1,476 crore to Arunachal Pradesh as part of an advance instalment of tax devolution amounting to Rs 1,09,019 crore to all state governments on Saturday.
The additional release, over and above the regular monthly devolution, is intended to help states accelerate capital expenditure and meet development and welfare-related spending, particularly in view of the upcoming festive season.
This is the second additional instalment of tax devolution released during the current financial year, according to the Union Finance Ministry.
Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for the release, saying the timely financial support would strengthen the state's finances and help accelerate capital expenditure, infrastructure development and welfare initiatives.
He said such support was particularly important for a geographically challenging state like Arunachal Pradesh, where the cost of building and maintaining infrastructure was considerably high.
Khandu appreciated the continued support of the Centre towards the state's development.
The release forms part of the Centre's tax devolution to states, which enables them to meet expenditure requirements and undertake development activities.
Among the Northeastern states, Assam has received Rs 3,552 crore, Meghalaya Rs 688 crore, Manipur Rs 682 crore, Tripura Rs 699 crore, Mizoram Rs 615 crore, Nagaland Rs 524 crore and Sikkim Rs 365 crore.
Uttar Pradesh received the highest allocation at Rs 19,208 crore, followed by Bihar with Rs 10,845 crore.