Questioning the utility of first Supplementary Budget of this financial year amounting Rs 5452 crore, the Opposition members termed it futile and an example of financial mismanagement. They also charged the Government for performing poorly on developmental fronts.
“About six months have passed but the Government has been able to spend just over 17 per cent of the budgetary provisions. However, its officials have kept over Rs 4500 crore in Pl, accounts which are also unspent. Plans such as BRGF, IAP are dying and Model Schools are on the verge of closure as the Center has cut its share into such schemes. It is clear case of financial mismanagement,” said JVM legislator Pradeep Yadav while presenting Cut Motion.
The leader went ahead and charged the Government for corrupt practices in distributing sugar under the PDS scheme to BPl. “Rate of sugar being sold in PDS shop is higher than the market rate. Its quality is also extremely poor. It would have been better if the Government would have deposited the subsidy amount in BPl beneficiaries’ accounts. He would have got cheaper and better sugar from market,” said Yadav. He also termed the newly carved out Anti-corruption Bureau as a farce and charged it for just catching smaller fishes and not higher rank officials. Yadav at the same time also raised fake surrender case and demanded justice to the tribal caught into the act. JMM’s Ravindra Nath Mahto also termed the supplementary demand for grants useless citing slow pace of development across the State.
Replying to it, BJP’s Radha Krishna Kishore defended the demand saying that the Government needed money for the step it had taken. “No Government thus far has been able to announce pension for Jharkhand revolutionaries before this one. Six rail projects were pending but this Government has renewed those for the benefit of the people of the State. This has been a record that 18.86 per cent of budget amount has been spent till August,” said the MlA.