Flood relief fund will be released soon, oppn should not politicise issue: Sitharaman

The minister attended a meeting with industry representatives in the city on Friday and later interacted with the media as assembly elections are due in the state

Blaming the opposition for politicising the issue, Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the Centre will release flood relief fund to affected areas in the state soon according to the plan decided by central and state governments.

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman at a press conference in Pune, on Friday. (Ravindra Joshi/HT PHOTO)

Maharashtra government has demanded Rs 6,000 crore for flood relief work in western Maharashtra, mainly in Kolhapur and Sangli districts.

The minister attended a meeting with industry representatives in the city on Friday and later interacted with the media as assembly elections are due in the state.

Sitharaman said, “The central government has already released the interim amount immediately after floods. A team of ministers and experts visited the flood-affected areas and assessed the loss. As per their recommendations, the government will release the funds.”

The minister said that a panel has been set up to check the reasons for fall in goods and services tax (GST) collection and slowdown in automobile sectors. She said a committee has been formed to recommend amendments in multi-state cooperative bank laws among others following the Punjab and Maharashtra Co-operative Bank Ltd (PMC Bank) scam.

Nothing wrong in performing puja of Rafale aircraft

Sitharaman supported Union defence minister Rajnath Singh, who performed puja of Rafale during Vijayadashmi. “It is our tradition to perform pujas during auspicious days and using lemons and chilli on such occasions is not wrong,” she said.