Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
Chandigarh, March 15: Rajya Sabha member-elect and the former Punjab Congress president Mr Partap Singh Bajwa today took the Deputy Chief Minister Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal to task for cheating people through his concocted presentations on the state of economy that now stand exposed in the report presented none other than by the Comptroller and Auditor General in the state Vidhan Sabha yesterday.
“Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal has been defending increasing debt saying it was part of the development process and other states are comparatively under much higher debt burden. The CAG report has thoroughly exposed the myth with the conclusion that Punjab is heading towards debt trap as the state government is utilizing 70 per cent of the current borrowings for repayment of earlier borrowings leaving just 30 per cent for other purposes. It is not without reason that the state government has not revealed aggregate debt burden in the budget presented today going by the speech of the Finance Minister Mr Parminder Singh Dhindsa”, he added.
He said while the Deputy Chief Minister has been making tall claims that there was no shortage of finances for development projects, it has clearly been brought out by the CAG that 34 projects scheduled to be completed between 2008 and 2014-15 worth Rs 654.32 crore were still languishing.
He pointed out both health and education were key and basic sectors but it was ironic that despite all the rhetoric, the state government had to cut allocations by Rs 367 crore and Rs 927 crore respectively. The atta-daal scheme was surviving by raising funds by mortgaging properties of the Punjab Infrastructure development Board.
He said it had now been proved that the government and its undertakings were not in a position even to pay salaries to the staff as the Pepsu Road Transport Corporation had to divert Rs 15.99 crore out of loan of Rs 31.25 crore raised for purchase of new buses towards the payment of salaries of the employees.
He questioned Mr Badal on his definition of a bankrupt state as the state government was raising loans every year to repay earlier loan and interest.
He charged the Parkash Singh Badal government for indulging in profligacies like purchase of luxury vehicles despite empty coffers. The ruling Badal family was more concerned in improving its own economy at the cost of the people and the state. He alleged total energy had been concentrated by the Badal family on multiplying the family wealth in an attempt to become the wealthiest Sikh family in the world.
