Amidst delays in the payment of state's share in the Integrated GST (IGST) and dues towards compensation, the Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar today said that the Centre should clear the dues at the earliest.<br />'' <br />''He said as almost all the states in the country are currently grappling with the Coronavirus crisis more funding from the Center is required.<br />'' <br />''He was speaking while participating at the 41st GST Council meeting chaired by the Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.<br />'' <br />''AIR correspondent reports, as far as Maharashtra is concerned, State Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said the Centre needs to clear arrears worth Rs. 22,534 crore as of July and if there will be further delays the dues will go up to a record Rs. 1 lakh crore in two years.<br />'' <br />''Pawar said due to non-receipt of GST compensation from the Central Government on time, all the states are facing financial crisis which is affecting development works.<br />'' <br />''He said that the Centre should raise loans at lower interest rates and clear all dues to states on a priority basis.<br />'' <br />''Pawar reminded that the cess introduced to compensate the states for GST losses is for a period of five years till 2022 and suggested that it should be extended further till full recovery.<br />'' <br />''Meanwhile the Maharashtra BJP has called for an agitation called 'ghantanad' on 29th of this month demanding to reopen places of worship in the state.<br />'' <br />''<span style="color: #222222;">The statewide protest will see participation from religious leaders and heads of temples. </span><br />