Sukhu met Sitharaman and discussed issues of state interest

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu met Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi on Thursday and urged to review the limit imposed by the Department of Expenditure on the state for receiving external assistance and restore the previous status quo.

According to a release issued here, Sukhu requested the Union Minister to consider funding the reconstruction and rehabilitation proposal submitted by Himachal Pradesh under the new window for multilateral funding from the World Bank, which is in excess of the limit set by the ministry. He raised the issue of reducing the revenue deficit grant before her. He said that the state government has taken several steps to raise additional resources, however, these steps are insufficient to meet the budgetary obligations for the financial year 2025-26. He urged to allow the state to borrow an additional two percent of GSDP for 2025-26. He also raised the issue of the need for additional resources for the construction of infrastructure due to the high cost of construction due to difficult geographical and meteorological conditions. Sitharaman assured to consider the demands of the Chief Minister sympathetically.