CM listed projects funded by Centre, World Bank: Jai Ram

Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur today called the state Budget directionless and visionless, which had seen the least increase from the previous one. “The present Budget is just Rs 71 crore more than the last one presented by the Congress government. The increase is of merely 0.12 per cent, the lowest ever,” he said. The year-on year-increase in the Budget during the previous BJP government even during the Covid years was higher, he claimed.

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Thakur slammed the government for leaving just 24 paise out of Re 1 for developmental works. In the last Budget, the amount for development was 28 paise out of Re 1. “The government doesn’t have money left for capital expenditure. The state is fully dependent on central assistance for development projects,” he added.

He said that many development projects that Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had listed in his Budget speech were funded by the Central Government, NABARD and World Bank. “Funds for several road and tourism projects are coming from the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, NABARD and World Bank but the Chief Minister deliberately refrained from giving out the source of funding in his speech,” he added.

Thakur alleged that several projects and schemes that the Congress government had announced in its first Budget were yet to be implemented. “The poll guarantees that the Congress had given to people do not find mention in the Budget. Also, there’s no mention of the Himcare scheme, Sahara Yojana etc. The Budget is disappointing for every section of society,” he added.

In a lighter vein, Thakur said that Sukhu should stop indulging in the politics of gimmicks. “The Chief Minister again came in his old Alto car to present the Budget. It seems the car comes out of the garage only on the day of the Budget,” he added.