New Delhi. The Union Budget 2024-25 presented in Parliament on Tuesday allocated Rs 1,168 crore for the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD), which is equal to the amount allocated in 2023-24. Atishi, the finance minister of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government of Delhi, targeted the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and said that the national capital was not given any amount either as a share in central taxes or as financial assistance to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, while the city has paid Rs 2.32 lakh crore in the central pool.
The budget document shows that the amount transferred from the Union Home Ministry to Delhi includes Rs 1,168 crore under the revenue head and Rs 0.01 crore under the capital head. Delhi was allocated Rs 960 crore in the 2022-23 budget, which increased to Rs 1,168.01 crore in 2023-24 and remained the same in 2024-25. There was no grant for Delhi in lieu of its share in central taxes and duties. It was Rs 325 crore in the 2022-23 budget.
The amount of grant in lieu of Delhi’s share of central taxes and duties was included in “Central Assistance to Union Territories” in the Budget Estimates for 2023-24. The same practice was followed in the Budget for the year 2024-25. In the Budget Estimates for the financial year 2024-25, an allocation of Rs 951 crore has been made to Delhi under Central Assistance, which is the same as the Budget for 2023-24. It is provided for funding the schemes of the Delhi Government.
Atishi criticised the BJP, saying the Delhi government had demanded Rs 20,000 crore for infrastructure development and the municipal corporation, which is 10 per cent of the Rs 2.32 lakh crore paid by them as taxes, but not a single rupee was given in the budget.
He said, “On the other hand, the Kejriwal government has provided the best schools, free electricity, free bus travel for women, mohalla clinics to the people of Delhi from the Rs 40,000 crore given in taxes every year.” He challenged the BJP to mention at least one work done by the government for Delhi in the last 11 budgets.