Patna: Deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi on Thursday drew the Centre's attention towards the shortfall in the release of funds towards the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA) and urged for sufficient budgetary allocation for this scheme as it was forcing the state to use its meagre resources to meet the gap.

According to official figures, from a period from 2013-14 to 2017-18, the total approved outlay for SSA for Bihar was Rs 42,568.41 crore. Of this, the required central share was Rs 25,043.51 crore but the actual release was Rs 12,501.68 crore.

"Government of India has actually disbursed approximately only 50 per cent of the approved central share for SSA in the last five years, and the state has to uses its meagre resources to meet the gap," Modi said at the pre-budget consultation of state finance ministers with Union finance minister Arun Jaitley in New Delhi on Thursday.

He requested Jaitley to ensure that sufficient budgetary allocation is made for Sarva Siksha Abhiyan so that the state could get the adequate central share as per the approved budget.

Modi also raised issues related to the national social assistance programme, Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana and schemes related to rural development like MGNREGA and PM Awas Yojana. He said that due to inadequacy in the funds provided under central share, a backward state like Bihar faced resource crunch and was forced to incur internal and external debt. He also pressed for enhancement of the Centre's share in the natural disaster related funds to 90 per cent from the existing 75 per cent.

Modi pressed for sufficient funds in the union budget for implementation of projects that are part of the Prime Minister's special package for Bihar announced in 2015.

Points like upward revision of relaxation in income tax from Rs 2.50 lakh to Rs 3.0 lakh for individuals and raising the deduction limit under Section 80C of the income tax Act from the present Rs 1.50 lakh to Rs 2.0 lakh also figured in the speech of the deputy chief minister.