Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday alleged that Central government was discriminating against his government by reducing funds under various heads including midday meal, urea subsidy, National Food Security Act (NFSA), electronic and IT hardware, and aero engine & plane in the 2023-24 budget presented by the Union Finance Minister in Parliament.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi talked of ‘Team India’, but he was biased in many ways in the centre’s new budget as the Central government’s the funding pattern to the states have been changed, and budgets in Central Sponsored Schemes (CSS) were reduced drastically for the states including Rajasthan, Gehlot told the Legislative Assembly while making a reply on his budget debate here.

The Central government has asked the state to deposit CSS money into the Nodal Bank Account instead of its Consolidated Fund, CM said, adding it would affect the liquidity of the state funds, and the money would be lying idle in the banks.

The sharing pattern of a number of missions like NFC, National Agriculture Development Yojna, National Rural Livelihood Mission,  National Health Mission, Indira Gandhi Nahar Pariyojna, and PM Gram Sadak Yojna has been raised in various categories from zero to 40 and 50 percent. Whereas the Central government kept its share from 50 to 60 percent in the aforesaid schemes, CM added.

The government of India has slashed the Divisional Pool in the 2023-24 fy as compared to 2019-20 and transferred Rs.76,035 crores less to Rajasthan which has given more financial burden, CM objected. Due to change in CSS funding pattern, the Centre has raised the share in central taxes from 32 to 41 percent, CM added.

Recalling PM Modi’s Dausa visit during the National Highway on Delhi-Mumbai via Dausa held recently, Gehlot blamed the Prime Minister for not declaring the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP) as a National Project.

Stating that the PM mislead the country on ERCP, Gehlot said, “Regarding the inter-state water agreement between Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, in the 13th meeting of the Rajasthan-Madhya Pradesh Inter-State Control Board, which was held on 25 August 2005, in which it was decided that the state would transfer the entire water received from its own segment for any project and not to other states can make a plan using 10 per cent of the water obtained from K’s cabinet”.

“Also, the submergence area of such a project should not be in another state, for which the approval of the other state is not necessary, it has also been said in those decisions. The DPR of ERCP has been made according to the decisions taken in this meeting. Therefore Madhya Pradesh’s No Objection (NOC) is not required for this project. The DPR of ERCP has been made according to the decisions taken in this meeting, therefore Madhya Pradesh’s No Objection (NOC) is not required for this project”, Gehlot quoted previous agreements made during the former CM Vasundhara Raje regime in 2005.

In a befitting reply to the major Opposition BJP, Gehlot said Rajasthan wanted Lumpy Vaccine but it was sent to Gujarat without giving any reason, and despite that the state government would pay a compensation of Rs 40,000 to each farmer or villager who lost his cow due to lumpy disease.

He urged the BJP MLAs and MPs to appeal to the PM to approve ERCP, and implement a social security act and Old Pension Scheme instead of New Pension Scheme as it is done in Rajasthan, and later in Himachal Pradesh.