CHANDIGARH: Pointing to the alarming gap between the state’s anticipated receipt and committed expenditure, Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday demanded from Centre an interim compensation to the tune of Rs 3000 crore for the month of April on account of the COVID-19 national disaster.In a letter to Union home minister Amit Shah , Amarinder also asked for expediting the release of the state’s GST arrears of Rs 4400 crore for the last four months, to help the state overcome its resource constraint.Citing the lockdown that had substantial fiscal consequences for all states, Amarinder said the Centre should compensate Punjab for its loss of revenue due to COVID-19. While the Rs 3000 crore for April was an estimate, he said “detailed assessment of loss and requirement of funds for relief and rehabilitation will be submitted in due course.”However, he stressed, “the Government of India should provide interim assistance so that the fight against COVID-19 is not allowed to weaken in any way.”He added that Punjab was facing a huge stress on state exchequer on account of the required health and relief measures that are being continuously scaled up, “with hardly any revenue receipts accruing to the state during these days due to near complete shutdown of trade, business and industry.”Amarinder observed that receipts expected for April were expected to decline sharply as most economic activities in the state remain closed on account of the lockdown. The receipts on account of SGST, IGST, and VAT, excise, stamp duty and motor vehicle taxes are almost negligible and the reduced electricity consumption has resulted in a drop of 60% of the expected revenue from electricity duty during April 2020, he noted.In addition, said Amarinder, the GST compensation of approximately Rs 4,400 crore for the last four months - from December, 2019 to March, 2020 - was also pending for disbursement by the Union Government On the other hand, he pointed out, the committed expenditure - debt servicing, pensions, salaries, relief measures for COVID-19, health care and infrastructure etc., is budgeted at Rs 7,301 crore for the month of April 2020.Pointing to the critical fiscal situation of the state, Amarinder also sought the Centre’s permission to allow sale of liquor, in a phased manner, to mop up VAT and excise revenue. The Ministry of Home, GoI, should “allow the state to take a conscious decision to allow the sale of liquor in certain areas in a phased manner with strict social distancing and other measures to prevent COVID-19,” he said.This, said Amarinder, would help the state immensely in its efforts to scale up the relief and health care measures to combat COVID-19 and meet some, if not all, of its committed liabilities and other day-to-day expenses.