Maharashtra coronavirus LIVE updates: Forcing states to borrow will result in an interest burden, says Ajit Pawar. (Proceedings)
LIVE news updates from Maharashtra, Mumbai, Pune Coronavirus
The Uddhav Thackeray government in Maharashtra is poised for another confrontation with the Center over the delay in the settlement of outstanding goods and services tax (GST) payments.
While the Center on Thursday offered to open a special window to states in consultation with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to help them borrow at a “reasonable interest rate” to close the GST compensation gap, the state government said Thursday. that the Center should borrow from the main bank and pass it on to the states to help them avoid a debt trap. It also demanded that the payment term for the termination of compensation be extended for another five years.
At the epicenter of the Covid-19 pandemic, Maharashtra’s economy, which accounts for nearly 14 percent of India’s Gross Domestic Product, has suffered massive losses due to the prolonged lockdown.
Meanwhile, as Maharashtra focuses its health resources on Covid-19, other major health programs continue to be affected, five months since the pandemic hit the state.
Data from the Department of Public Health accessed by The Indian Express shows that between March and July this year, cataract procedures decreased by 80%, male and female sterilization by 65%, immunization by 30% , institutional deliveries by 26% and admissions to neonatal intensive care by 26% of the figures for these procedures in the same period in 2019.
The first case of Covid-19 was detected on March 9 in Maharashtra, subsequently the phased shutdown began from mid-March, and government hospitals became Covid facilities at the end of March. As of August 27, the state had more than seven lakh of coronavirus cases and 23,000 deaths.
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