Arunachal's financial health 'sound and stable'

The Arunachal Pradesh government today asserted that the financial health of the state is "sound and stable" and there is no "abnormality".
"Whatever deficit the state government had to face was due to the implementation of the central sixth pay commission recommendations for the state government employees besides deficit grant by the thirteenth finance commission," government spokesperson Bamang Felix told reporters here.
Denying rumours on state's overdraft from the RBI, Felix said there was a certain amount of excess payment by a few state government departments, which was accordingly checked.
"The RBI is also governed by certain rules and so it directed the SBI branches here not to make any excess payment to the government till a regular budget is presented in the state assembly," Felix clarified in response to a question.

He said the payment could not be made against various schemes and projects because a regular budget was yet to be finalised by the state assembly, which only presented vote on account for the first four months of the current fiscal.
"General budget for the state is due and is expected to be finalised by the first week of July. We will place all our priorities and areas of work in the regular budget after finalisation of plan allocation for the state by the Centre," he said.
Dismissing allegation by several organisations of the state on non-payment of salaries to the employees for the past few months, he disclosed that the salaries for the month of April was delayed for a few days because of certain technical difficulties which is a common feature in all states at the beginning of the financial year.