BJP questions use of MP, MLA funds to pay staff salaries

Tribune News Service

Shimla, April 19

Himachal BJP general secretary Randheer Sharma asked Congress ministers to explain why the government had withdrawn money from 77 development blocks under MP and MLA Local Area Development funds for paying salary of employees for March.

He alleged that block development offices had even been asked to deposit the money already sanctioned to them for various schemes under the MLA and MP Local Area Development back in the treasury for the government’s use.

Expressing surprise over the directions to refund the money under MP Local Area Development, Sharma said this fund was administered by the Union government and the state government had no control on it.

“When I asked for the details of the money deposited in the treasury, no information was provided to me. But I gathered the information from my own sources that Rs 2.5 crore have been withheld in Bilaspur block alone,” he said.

He said the Congress government, and not the BJP, was responsible for the poor financial health as they mismanaged finances and indulged in wasteful expenditure.

Weather it was the 9th or the 13th Finance Commission, the Congress governments at the Centre discriminated against Himachal and did injustice to the state by pushing it into debt.

He alleged that the Virbhadra government failed to fully utilise funds allocated during the 10th Five-Year Plan resulting in financial loss to the state as there was no proportionate increase in the 11th Plan.

The BJP general secretary accused the government of indulging in wasteful expenditure, saying that an army of 45 chairmen and vice-chairman of boards and corporation, Officers on Special Duty (OSDs) and additional advocate generals was raised by the government and Rs 5 crore per month were drained from the state exchequer.

On the contrary, the BJP exercised strict control over expenditure and succeeded in getting royalty from hydro-power projects which improved the financial position of the state.

The NDA government at the Centre led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the present government gave liberal financial assistance to the state and Himachal was given record increase by 14th Finance Commission.

Sharma said the BJP government raised loans to the tune of Rs 7,466 crore from 2007-2012, while the present Congress government has raised loans worth Rs 8,612 crore within two years.