NEW DELHI: The Union Finance Ministry has released Rs 7,183.42 crore to 14 states, including Kerala, as the third monthly instalment of revenue deficit grant. Kerala will get Rs 1,097.83 crore. After West Bengal, which received Rs 1,132 crore, Kerala has received the largest share. The assistance is as per the recommendation of the Finance Commission.

The Finance Commission has recommended a revenue deficit grant of Rs 86,201 crore for the year 2022-23. Of this, Rs 21,550.25 crore was sanctioned. Kerala will get a total of Rs 13,174 crore. It received Rs 3293.50 crore so far.

Grants were also released to Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tripura and Uttarakhand yesterday.

Slight relief for Kerala

The Rs 1,097.83 crore released by the Centre comes as a relief to Kerala, which is struggling to overcome the financial crisis. The state had plunged into a deep crisis when it was denied permission for raising loans from the beginning of the financial year and later given only temporary permission to borrow Rs 5,000 crore.