India, Dec. 14 -- The revision of Goods and Services Tax (GST) slabs two months ago is expected to cost Maharashtra around Rs.15,000 crore annually, deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar said on Tuesday, underlining the fiscal pressure on the cash-strapped state.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the ongoing winter session of the state legislature in Nagpur, Pawar said the government was tapping additional revenue from sectors such as excise and mining to offset the losses.

He acknowledged that the state's finances were under strain due to various welfare schemes announced ahead of last year's assembly elections, but maintained that the Mahayuti government was managing to strike a balance.

"It is true that the [state's] debt burden ...