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TEHRAN, Jan 14 - Spain's minority Socialist government on Monday proposed a sharp increase in overall spending for Catalonia in a 2019 budget proposal that needs votes by parties from the independence-minded region to pass through parliament.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) - Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez' government aims to increase funding for Catalonia to 16.8 percent of total regional spending in 2019 from last year's 13.1 percent, according the draft budget.
The region, which has clashed with Madrid over its drive for independence from the rest of Spain, will receive just over 2 billion euros ($2.3 billion) from central government coffers as part of the increased share of transfers, plus another 200 million euros for infrastructure, the document showed.
The infrastructure funding would take Catalonia ahead of Andalusia, the most populous of Spain's 17 regions, as the single largest beneficiary of this year's budget.
Sanchez's government holds just 88 seats in the 350-seat parliament, making it reliant on votes from regional parties to approve any legislation.
The budget is the Socialist's largest legislative test since it came to power in June and failure to approve it, which would prompt an automatic roll over of last year's budget, could force Sanchez to call a snap general election.
The government has promised to slash the budget deficit but boost social spending.
Source: Reuters
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