Kolkata, May 20 (IANS): Refuting claims that West Bengal's finances were in poor shape, outgoing Finance Minister Asim Dasgupta Thursday said the reverse was the case.

"For the past few days we are noticing that the media is reporting negatively about the state finances. I have specially called this press conference to clear the confusion. The financial position of the state is in good health. It pains me when I find some of the media do not report the full story," Dasgupta told reporters here.

"Expected accumulated debt at the end of last financial year was Rs 1.92 lakh crore, while the actual debt was less than that...it was Rs 1.86 lakh crore. As per the Reserve Bank of India the worst debt-ridden state is Uttar Pradesh and not West Bengal."

According to total accumulated debt, the position of West Bengal was third, while on the basis of relative accumulated debt (ratio of accumulated debt to state gross domestic product) the position was 11th, he said, adding that for the state the ratio had declined from 50 percent to 40 percent in the last five years.

"The state has been deprived of Rs.5,000 crore accruing from royalty on coal. If we get this amount, the liabilities can easily be paid off and the development fund can be increased. This is our constitutional right and even the Supreme Court had given the order in our favour," he said.

"We do not know why we have been deprived of this amount. West Bengal is the only state which has not got the royalty on coal,'' he added.