Mumbai, Jun 30 (PTI) Maharashtra NCP (SP) chief Jayant Patil on Monday criticised the Mahayuti government after it tabled supplementary demands of Rs 57,509 crore in the legislature, claiming the state's fiscal balance has been severely disrupted.

The state's growing financial burden will lead to injustice towards the poor and marginalised communities, he further claimed.

The former Maharashtra finance minister was speaking to reporters on the first day of the state legislature's monsoon session where Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who holds charge of the finance department, tabled supplementary demands of Rs 57,509.71 crore in the assembly to allocate funds for various schemes and projects.

Supplementary demands are additional funds sought by the government over budgetary allocations.

"In this financial year, the budget has already projected a revenue deficit of Rs 45,891 crore. Now, with the supplementary demands of Rs 57,509 crore, the total shortfall has reached Rs 1.03 lakh crore. This is yet another dubious record of the government," Patil alleged.

The government routinely places supplementary demands before the legislature, but the actual expenditure does not match the promises made on paper, the legislator claimed.

"By the end of the fiscal year, we often find that funds earmarked for the Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and Other Backward Class communities remain unspent. This pattern is being repeated this year as well," Patil charged.

If the current trend continues, the state's revenue deficit could go up to Rs 1.5 lakh crore to Rs 2 lakh crore before the next budget, he claimed.

"The government is taking loans and making financial commitments it cannot fulfil. This could lead to a situation where people who are owed money may either take drastic steps or turn against the administration," the NCP (SP) leader said.

Maintaining fiscal balance has now become a serious challenge for the state, and the financial mismanagement is directly affecting welfare spending on the poor and underprivileged, Patil claimed. PTI MR GK

Fiscal imbalance risks welfare spending as supplementary demands widen the state's revenue shortfall and increase borrowing pressure. Supplementary budgetary demands significantly increase the state's projected revenue shortfall, and critics allege a recurring pattern of unspent allocations for Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and Other Backward Class welfare schemes. The government's additional borrowing and unsustainable financial commitments risk timely payment of obligations and reduction of welfare financing, while the routine practice of placing supplementary demands is said to mask divergence between budgetary promises and actual expenditure.