Debt nearing Rs 75K crore, expect harsh steps: Himachal CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu

Pratibha Chauhan

Shimla, March 14

Reiterating his government’s resolve to plug wasteful expenditure and lay thrust on resource generation, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today said the grave financial health of the state necessitated drastic steps, with the debt touching Rs 75,000 crore.

Countering the BJP onslaught on the issue of shutting down of over 900 institutions opened by the previous regime, he said no budgetary provision had been made for the same. “Had we gone ahead with these institutions, we would have required an additional Rs 5,000 crore. We couldn’t have afforded it,” he said, as he arrived in his personal Maruti Alto car at the Vidhan Sabha on the first day of the Budget session.

The BJP tried to corner the government over halting the MLA Local Area Development Fund and staged a walkout, but Sukhu refused to succumb to the pressure, saying the funds had only been stalled. “Its resumption will be subject to encouraging revenue generation in the third quarter,” he said.

As the treasury benches and the Opposition traded charges over the issue, the CM stressed the need for fiscal discipline. “The Congress has come to power to change the system to one where the welfare of the poor remains the top priority,” he said. Former CM and Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur countered the CM by stating that he was setting a wrong precedent. “We honoured the liabilities of the Congress regime in 2017. The hue and cry over the state’s financial health is nothing but a farce,” he retorted.

Meanwhile, the government today tabled the Himachal Pradesh Water Cess on Hydropower Generation Bill 2023. It will pave the way for levying cess on 172 projects with a capacity of 10,991 MW and aims at generating an additional revenue of Rs 4,000 crore per annum.