The State Congress has alleged that the development works in the State ridden with 150 thousand crore debt have come to a halt besides the main opposition in the State also questioned State Cabinet’s recent decision to reduce Value Added Tax (VAT) on cigarette from 27 per cent to 13 per cent.
Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) chief spokesman KK Mishra in a statement here on Thursday said, “How could the Finance Minister of the State that is burden with a debt of over Rs 150 thousand crore claims his ministry and government’s success. Development works have to halt due to lack of money and the condition is sop worst that salary of officers employees is facing problems, government payments have been stopped in these circumstances the figures presented by the finance minister while presenting his report card seems to be paradox of statistics.”
Mishra said that the financial condition of the State is serious. If the Prime Minister Jan Dhan scheme has achieved 100 per cent success in the State then why and for what is it still going onIJ The development claimed by the BJP Government is not seen on ground level, then where the funds are going, he added.
He said that the reducing VAT on cigarette and increasing it on petrol and diesel in the cover of huge revenue losses is political skill or surrender before the cigarette mafia.The senior Congress leader said the Finance Minister has admitted that earlier a very huge sum of money used to be paid in interest and wished to know that is the current debt of 150 thousand crore rupees is interest freeIJHe saidthe Minister also claimed that the master plan of 50, 982 villages was ready since last three years than why this plan had not been implemented, he questioned.