Himachal Govt will soon run out of funds for key infrastructure works: Jai Ram Thakur

Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur today slammes the Congress government for the financial crisis in the state. He said that the state was heading in the direction where the government would have little money left for development work and the maintenance of key infrastructure like roads, hospitals and school buildings.

Thakur, while participating in a discussion on the financial condition of the state under Rule 130, said that the government had only 28 per cent of the budget left for development work, while it was 39.56 during the previous BJP government. “Now, more than 40 per cent of the budget is being spent only on the salaries and pensions of employees, whereas in the year 2017-18, during the BJP government, it was only 27 per cent,” he said.

“The state started falling into the debt trap in 1993-98 when the government took huge loans through the electricity board and forest corporation when there was no need for it,” he alleged. Thakur said the previous BJP government had taken a loan of only Rs 19,600 crore in five years, which was much less than the loan limit set for the state. He further claimed that under the current government, the debt burden on the state will cross Rs one lakh crore.

He also attacked the government for making six Chief Parliamentary Secretaries (CPSs) and giving Cabinet rank to several office-bearers. “The government has spent Rs 6 crore on fighting the CPS case, and the salary of the chairman of a board has been increased from Rs 30 thousand to Rs 1.30 lakh overnight,” he said, adding that in such a condition, development work in the state was bound to come to a standstill.

Earlier, while starting the discussion under Rule 130, MLA Bhawani Singh Pathania said that the expectations and aspirations of the people from the government were changing and the youth no longer wanted freebies. “Instead, they want quality health, education, roads and the Internet. The governments will need to think in these lines,” said Pathania.

BJP MLA Vipin Singh Parmar said the debt had increased sharply in the 18 months of the Congress government and the state was under a debt of Rs 94,000 crore. He said every Himachali had a debt of Rs 1.17 lakh now.

However, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Harshwadhan Chauhan held the BJP responsible for the financial crisis by offering electoral freebies and making wasteful expenditure.