Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday countered the Kerala government narrative that the Centre was unjustly withholding funds, blaming the State government for failing to furnish the necessary documents on time to get its money.
Ms. Sitharaman, addressing a a credit outreach programme organised by banks at Attingal and a business conclave organised by the Kerala Kaumudi in Thiruvananthapuram, said “not one rupee” is held back by the Centre from money due to State governments, provided they furnish the Accountant General’s (AG) certificates to the Finance Ministry on time.
Ms. Sitharaman added that if the Kerala government opted to approach the Court on the issue, it was welcome to do so. “It gives me one more opportunity to put the facts before the court to say this is what the story is really,” she said.
