Expressing concern over State’s “pathetic” financial situation, the leader of Opposition in Punjab Vidhan Sabha Sunil Kumar Jakhar on Sunday said that there was no improvement in State’s fiscal management despite friendly Union Government at the Centre.
“The situation is precarious as unpaid bills running into crores of rupees, delay in salaries of Government employees, among other things, manifest poor financial position,” said Jakhar.Referring to the Reserve Bank of India’s report for the year 2013-14, Jakhar pointed that Punjab availed overdraft for 49 days and resorted to way and means advances for 120 days, “which is in stark contradiction to claims of Deputy Chief Minister about better financial position of the State Government”.
Jakhar said: “You live on the edges of borrowing and yet claim to be prosperous is nothing but obsessive hallucinations, and try to mislead people into misbelieve. It is a cruel joke perpetrated on the people of Punjab.”Government employees, especially the computer teachers, have not been paid their salaries for months together, and the rightful claims of Government employees with respect to medical bills, retirement benefits, advances against GPF, TA bills etc are lying uncleared in the treasuries and finance departments, he said.
“The employees as a consequence are under huge financial stress and are even unable to meet their day-to-day needs. If the claims of Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister about the normalcy in financial management are to be believed, then why there is such a backlog of payments in each and every department of Punjab,” questioned Jakhar.
He said: “Our Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister may not be in the know of real situation at the ground, many Government employees are spending from their own pocket to keep their department operational.”He also dubbed as “shameful” the manner in which ETT teachers, PRTC employees and health workers are being beaten blue by Punjab police at the behest of political directions from the State Government.
Jakhar said: “Chief Minister sahib, earlier you had an perfect alibi to blame UPA Government for your financial mismanagements caused in fact due to your fiscal profligacy. Now that you are partner and ally of the Central Government, people are waiting to see those truckloads of grants land from Central Government land on the soil of Punjab and the much-hyped beginning of golden age in Punjab under Modi stewardship. People of Punjab are waiting for ‘achhe din’,” he added.