New Delhi: Dismissing the INDI alliance's claims that the Narendra Modi government has treated non-BJP ruled states unfairly when it came to tax devolution, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday stated that Kerala got Rs 1.57 lakh crore in tax devolution after 2014 as against Rs 46,000 crore between 2004 to 2014. Few days back, the north-south divide was raked up by Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar's brother DK Suresh. The Congress MP had claimed that most of North India's development work was being fueled by South Indian taxpayers' money. 

Dispelling this fear, FM Sitharaman, speaking in the Rajya Sabha, said that Tamil Nadu has seen four times increase in tax devolution as compared to previous 10 years under UPA. “Special addition to Tamil Nadu, Rs 505 crore was given for capital expenditure in 2022-23; Rs 3000 crore in 2023-2024. These all have been given for 50 years interest free”, said FM Sitharaman.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday tabled a 'White Paper on the Indian Economy' in the Lok Sabha. Sitharaman in her Interim Budget speech had announced that the government will come out with a white paper on the economy outlining the economic mismanagement in the 10 years of UPA rule till 2014.

The NDA government has overcome the crisis of those years, and the economy has been put firmly on a high sustainable growth path with all-round development, Sitharaman said.

"It is now appropriate to look at where we were then till 2014 and where we are now, only for the purpose of drawing lessons from the mismanagement of those years. The Government will lay a White Paper on table of the House," she had said. 

(With inputs from PTI)