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Maharashtra Seeks Rs 25,000 Crore Package, Pending Dues From Centre

Maharashtra has sought a special package worth Rs 25,000 crore from the central government amid the new coronavirus outbreak.

The Gateway of India arch-monument stands illuminated at dusk in Mumbai, India. (Photographer: Dhiraj Singh/Bloomberg)
The Gateway of India arch-monument stands illuminated at dusk in Mumbai, India. (Photographer: Dhiraj Singh/Bloomberg)

Maharashtra has sought a special package worth Rs 25,000 crore from the central government and asked it to release pending dues to fight the economic crisis stemming from the new coronavirus outbreak.

The 21-day lockdown announced by the central government has stopped all business activity, and industries, trade and services have come to a standstill in the state, Ajit Pawar, deputy chief minister and finance minister of Maharashtra, wrote in his letter to the central government, according a statement. All this has impacted the income of the state, he said.

Pawar said that apart from the special package, the central government should clear dues worth Rs 16,654 crore under various heads by March 31. That includes Rs 1,687 crore as the share of the state in various taxes, and subsidy and financial assistance of Rs 14,967 crore.

The March 30 letter was sent to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, and Nitin Gadkari and Prakash Javadekar, two ministers in the BJP-ruled central government from Maharashtra.

India’s richest state has the highest number of confirmed cases of Covid-19—more than 220 have tested positive, including 10 deaths.