Centre stopped funding in 8 schemes in Odisha: state minister

The BJP led NDA government at the Centre has stopped funding at least eight schemes in Odisha since 2015-16 and changed funding pattern of several other centrally sponsored schemes (CSS).

This was claimed by state Finance Minister S B Behera while replying to a question in the assembly on Monday.

The schemes for which funds have been totally stopped included the National e-Governance Action Plan, the Backward Region Grant Fund, Modernisation of Police Force, and the Scheme for Setting up of 6000 Model Schools at Block Level, Behera said.

The state government has to bear more burden as the Centre changed the funding pattern of many CSS into 60:40 ratio, the finance minister said.

As per the recommendation of the 14th Finance Commission, the funding pattern for State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) should be 90:10. However, the Centre continued to keep the ratio at 75:25 till implementation of the Goods and Service Tax (GST), he said.

The recommendations of the 14th Finance Commission, however, came to the force from 2018-19 fiscal, Behera said adding that the state has to contribute in the 75:25 ratio in the year 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2017-18.

The state government continued certain schemes from its own resources even as the Centre stopped them in 2015-16.

These schemes are Backward Regions Grant Fund, the Model School and the Mission on Food Processing, the minister said.