Cabinet approves ₹442 cr for municipal corporations.

The municipal corporations of Delhi will get more than ₹400 crore in additional funding this fiscal after the Delhi Cabinet approved the release on Thursday.

According to a Delhi government statement, the Cabinet approved ₹442.78 crore in additional funds for the municipalities that will have to be used for payment of salaries, arrears and other dues of sanitation workers.

This came a day after a delegation of sanitation workers met Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to complain about not getting their salaries and other payments on time. The North and East Delhi Municipal Corporations have been facing a financial crunch for over three years now, leading to delays in salaries.

On Wednesday, Mr. Kejriwal told sanitation workers that the Delhi government had been giving the municipal corporations more funds than previous years and that he was surprised by the delays in salaries and other payments.

The Chief Minister told the delegation that the East Delhi Municipal Corporation, which has been the worst hit, was given ₹948 crore in 2016-2017, up from ₹287.72 crore in 2013-2014. Similarly, the North Delhi Municipal Corporation was given ₹1,318.26 crore in 2016-2017, increased from ₹808.77 crore in 2013-2014.

THE HINDU