'Punjab heading for financial crisis'
Slamming the Punjab government, former CM Amarinder Singh says the state was heading for a 'grave financial crisis'.
By PTI |
CHANDIGARH: Slamming the Punjab state government, former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Friday said the state was heading for a "grave financial crisis" as the treasuries were shut and collections from stamp duties and VAT were dwindling.
"The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-BJP combine government is looking at ways and means after distribution of this month's salaries and pensions ...the government is back on borrowing," the Congress leader, who is facing charges of graft in the infamous Ludhiana City Centre (LCC) scandal, told a press conference here.
Claiming that the previous Congress government left a credit of Rs 1,200 crore when it demitted office in March this year, he said, "it is for the first time that the treasuries in the state are facing closure."
"No developmental work is taking place in the present regime," he noted while adding that the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) is facing an acute shortfall for operating power.
"As a result of free power facility to the farmers, the PSEB is required a sum of Rs 4,680 crore for its functioning," he said, adding that "if there is no sufficient cover in the budget then the power sector is in store for trouble."
"Revenue is falling in all the sectors," Singh said while adding that the government needed Rs 850 crore for its much- publicised scheme of providing food to weaker sections of society at the subsidised rates.
Singh, who was accompanied with several party MLAs and leaders from various districts, said his government was in the process of setting up as many as 377 mega projects. However, the present SAD-BJP alliance regime cleared only five of these projects.
"Such a move has deprived 20 lakh jobs to the unemployed in the state," he said.
Noting that during his regime the cotton production touched as high as 27 lakh bales in a season at one time from seven lakh bales during the Akali regime, he said that this year the cotton crop had "collapsed".
"The revenue of the state is falling whereas the expenditure is going high," he said.
"All treasuries are empty...next three to four months the situation will be too bad, he said.
Pointing that "nobody knows who is running the government in the state," he said that there was no strong leadership in Punjab.
"(Chief minister Parkash Singh) Badal is busy in his sangat darshan programmes, while his son (MP Sukhbir Singh) is in involved in hitting out at Congressmen...who really is running the government only the God knows," Singh said.
"The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-BJP combine government is looking at ways and means after distribution of this month's salaries and pensions ...the government is back on borrowing," the Congress leader, who is facing charges of graft in the infamous Ludhiana City Centre (LCC) scandal, told a press conference here.
Claiming that the previous Congress government left a credit of Rs 1,200 crore when it demitted office in March this year, he said, "it is for the first time that the treasuries in the state are facing closure."
"No developmental work is taking place in the present regime," he noted while adding that the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) is facing an acute shortfall for operating power.
"As a result of free power facility to the farmers, the PSEB is required a sum of Rs 4,680 crore for its functioning," he said, adding that "if there is no sufficient cover in the budget then the power sector is in store for trouble."
"Revenue is falling in all the sectors," Singh said while adding that the government needed Rs 850 crore for its much- publicised scheme of providing food to weaker sections of society at the subsidised rates.
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Singh, who was accompanied with several party MLAs and leaders from various districts, said his government was in the process of setting up as many as 377 mega projects. However, the present SAD-BJP alliance regime cleared only five of these projects.
"Such a move has deprived 20 lakh jobs to the unemployed in the state," he said.
Noting that during his regime the cotton production touched as high as 27 lakh bales in a season at one time from seven lakh bales during the Akali regime, he said that this year the cotton crop had "collapsed".
"The revenue of the state is falling whereas the expenditure is going high," he said.
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"All treasuries are empty...next three to four months the situation will be too bad, he said.
Pointing that "nobody knows who is running the government in the state," he said that there was no strong leadership in Punjab.
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"(Chief minister Parkash Singh) Badal is busy in his sangat darshan programmes, while his son (MP Sukhbir Singh) is in involved in hitting out at Congressmen...who really is running the government only the God knows," Singh said.
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