Central Support To Meghalaya Increased 231% In A Decade: Sitharaman

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday announced that central financial support to Meghalaya has seen a 23% increase in 10 years, in comparison to the previous decade. Between 2014 and 2024, the state received a total of Rs 89,335 crore in tax devolution and Grants-in-Aid from the Centre, Rs 62,362 crore more than what it received between 2004 and 2014, when the total stood at Rs 26,973 crore, she said here.

The UPA, headed by the Congress, was in power at the Centre for a decade since 2004, while the BJP-led dethroned it in 2014.

Tax devolution alone jumped from Rs 7,273 crore in the 2004-2014 period to Rs 48,883 crore in the last 10 years, an increase of 572%, said Sitharaman.

Grants-in-Aid also rose significantly, from Rs 19,700 crore to Rs 40,452 crore, she said.

"This unprecedented scale of financial assistance has transformed Meghalaya's development landscape," Sitharaman told a press conference.

She said that the funds have empowered the state to accelerate infrastructure projects, expand connectivity, strengthen rural development, and improve public services in education and healthcare.

The finance minister also highlighted the outcome of the Scheme for Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment, under which Meghalaya received Rs 5,471 crore as part of a Rs 5.3 lakh crore fund disbursed nationwide in the form of 50-year interest-free loans.

The Northeastern region as a whole received Rs 48,804 crore under SASCI.

Sitharaman is on a four-day tour of Meghalaya from Thursday.