Arunachal minister raises funding challenges with Sitharaman

Itanagar, Mar 28 (PTI) Arunachal Pradesh Urban Affairs, Civil Aviation, and Land Management minister Balo Raja on Friday apprised Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman about the state's deprivation of financial assistance from international institutions due to alleged interference from China.
    Raja, accompanied by Itanagar Municipal Corporation Mayor Tame Phassang, met the minister in the national capital.

    He informed her that, except for Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim, all other states and union territories are availing loans from the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank for infrastructure development, an official statement released here said.
    “Due to protests from China, Arunachal Pradesh is being deprived of financial assistance from international institutions and is therefore fully dependent on central assistance, as it is a resource-crunch state,” Raja was quoted in the statement as saying to the Union finance minister.

    China has been laying claims over Arunachal Pradesh saying it is part of Southern Tibet.

    While expressing gratitude to the central government for its continued support, Raja briefed Sitharaman on various developmental projects undertaken through urban local bodies, highlighting their financial requirements for timely and successful completion.
    He also drew her attention to pending grants meant for urban local bodies and requested her intervention for their consideration.
    Sitharaman assured the minister of the central government’s continued and comprehensive support for the state’s overall development, the statement added.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)