Bhubaneswar, Nov 19 (PTI) The BJP led NDA government at the Centre has stopped funding at least eight schemes in Odisha since 2015-16 and changed funding pattern of several other centrally sponsored schemes (CSS).

This was claimed by state Finance Minister S B Behera while replying to a question in the assembly on Monday.

The schemes for which funds have been totally stopped included the National e-Governance Action Plan, the Backward Region Grant Fund, Modernisation of Police Force, and the Scheme for Setting up of 6000 Model Schools at Block Level, Behera said.

The state government has to bear more burden as the Centre changed the funding pattern of many CSS into 60:40 ratio, the finance minister said.

As per the recommendation of the 14th Finance Commission, the funding pattern for State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) should be 90:10. However, the Centre continued to keep the ratio at 75:25 till implementation of the Goods and Service Tax (GST), he said.

The recommendations of the 14th Finance Commission, however, came to the force from 2018-19 fiscal, Behera said adding that the state has to contribute in the 75:25 ratio in the year 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2017-18.

The state government continued certain schemes from its own resources even as the Centre stopped them in 2015-16.

These schemes are Backward Regions Grant Fund, the Model School and the Mission on Food Processing, the minister said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)