LoP Partap Singh Bajwa targets Punjab Govt over rising debt

Chandigarh, June 24

The Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Partap Singh Bajwa on Monday lashed out at Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema for “handling Punjab’s economy so poorly as it has reached the verge of collapse”.

Bajwa said that the Finance Ministry of Punjab under Cheema should be renamed as the “ministry of debt raising”. Ever since the Aam Aadmi Party formed the government in Punjab and Harpal Singh Cheema got the finance portfolio, the debt burden on the state has been going up dramatically, Bajwa alleged.

“Before the AAP got hold of power, the outstanding debt in Punjab was Rs 2.82 lakh crore at the end of the financial year 2021-22. Meanwhile, by the end of this fiscal year (2024-25), the outstanding debt is likely to touch an alarming Rs 3.74 lakh crore,” Bajwa added.

He said that under Cheema’s leadership, the government does not even have funds to pay the salaries and pensions of the government employees on time.