Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi on Saturday requested Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to release central government funds for the development and maintenance of the city.
The Mayor requested the Union Finance Minister to release Rs 10,000 crore for Delhi, of which she said Rs 5,000 crore will be used to enhance sanitation and cleanliness, Rs 3,000 crore for upgrading and repairing roads in residential colonies, and Rs 2,000 crore for maintaining and beautifying parks.
At a joint press conference addressed by Delhi Minister Atishi and Mayor Shelly Oberoi, the minister stated that the Delhi government has demanded its fair share in the Union Budget. Atishi called for a Rs 10,000 crore allocation in the budget, which is set to be presented on 23rd July.
Claiming that the Municipal Corporation of Delhi receives no funds from the Centre, Atishi alleged that while states like Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra receive substantial allocations for local bodies, Delhi continues to be neglected.
Mayor Oberoi emphasised that the Kejriwal government has already allocated Rs 6,060 crore to the MCD and urged the Centre to provide the taxpayers of Delhi with what they deserve.
Senior AAP leader and minister Atishi further said that the central government collects taxes from other states and allocates part of this revenue to its policies, a portion as tax shares to different state governments, and some part to urban local bodies.
Every state in the country gets this money, she added.
She further claimed, “Delhi is the only state in the entire country that does not receive a single penny as its tax share from the central government. Neither the Delhi government nor the Municipal Corporation of Delhi has received a single rupee from the central government to date.”
She questioned, “I want to ask the BJP-led central government what crime the people of Delhi have committed. The people of Delhi work hard, pay income tax honestly, and contribute to the development of the country. Yet, Delhiites do not receive a single penny from the central government for the development of their own city.”
Atishi further stated, “This time we are demanding a budget allocation of Rs 10,000 crore for the MCD from the central budget. Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi has also written a letter to the Finance Minister in this regard. This amount is only 5 per cent of the income tax paid by the people of Delhi.”
The Delhi Mayor claimed that while the central government gives money from the budget to all states and their municipal corporations, Delhi does not get any money.