Shillong, Mar 14: Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Monday took a dig at opposition members for questioning the spending by the government, which has gone up to Rs. 15,500 crore. Presenting the Budget last week (March 09, 2022), the CM had stated that the government spending has gone up to Rs. 15,500 crore during the last five years from Rs. 9,600 crore in 2017.

Replying to the discussion on Budget in the Assembly on Monday, Conrad said the members that are complaining about the government spending are the same members who came to him pleading that they want roads, blocks, different developments. As such, he asked these members to decide whether they want the development or they don’t want to take the money.

“They have to decide whether they want the development or they don’t want us to take the money. Both have to go hand in hand. So, yes, we are taking the money. As I said, the money is not something we are just taking from the market (on) loan and increasing the loans at our will, absolutely not. Whatever funds that are coming in through loans, through the public finance, through the borrowing is in the mandate given by the Government of India,” he said.

“These funds have helped the state to improve its overall spending capacity and that is the reason why we are seeing today that the government has been able to increase the overall expenditure that was there,” he further said.

Talking about the expenditures, he said the revenue has come from many sources. “In the last few years, because of the intervention of the finance commission… we were able to increase our share of central taxes which was at a mere Rs 4,000 crore in the last finance commission to this year’s finance commission going up to Rs 6,200 crore, which means an increase of almost 30%,” he said.

Sangma further informed that the state’s own revenue, which makes up 13.7 percent of the total revenue, in 2017, it was at Rs 1400 crore and currently it is Rs 2500 crore – a jump of almost Rs 1100 crore.

He said the Government of India allows every state to take up a certain amount of loan and “we have utilized that amount… there is nothing wrong in that. While we do that, we have to realize the amount we are spending has happened because of the efficient works of the government.”