Himachal CM misleading people by fudging figures: Jai Ram Thakur

Pratibha Chauhan

Shimla, February 19

While accusing the Chief Minister of presenting misleading figures, Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur today questioned the growth rate of 7.1 per cent and other indicators reflected in the Budget proposals for 2024-25 presented by Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu in the Assembly.

Govt failed to fulfil job promise

Taking a jibe at the government for claiming to be pro-employees, the former Chief Minister said every section of employees was dissatisfied and forced to protest, while jobless youth were demanding resumption of recruitment process. The government has failed to fulfill the promise of providing 20,000 jobs, Jai Ram Thakur said.

Jai Ram Thakur today initiated the debate on the Budget proposals for the year 2024-25 presented by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu in the Vidhan Sabha on February 17. He said the Budget was totally directionless and visionless which has given no relief to any section of society be it the youth, women, employees, farmers or the underprivileged. It will only push Himachal backwards, retarding the pace of development.

“I can understand that the election manifesto is a political document in which you made false guarantees but at least do not place wrong figures in the Budget,” he remarked. “You have named two new schemes in your name but nobody was getting the feeling of being ‘sukhi’ in the state,” he added.

Thakur hit out at the government for failing to fulfil the announcements made in the last Budget and the 10 guarantees made by the Congress. He accused the Chief Minister of trying to mislead the people by fudging Budget figures. “I disagree with the growth rate of 7.1 per cent, revenue deficit of Rs 5,480 crores and Rs 4,514 crore revenue loss reflected in this year’s Budget,” he said.

The fact is that this year the progress and achievement on all the schemes announced in the last Budget were a big zero. It would have been better if you had presented last year’s Budget only this year also, he remarked.

Thakur also expressed concern over the mounting loan repayment amount and the salary and pensionary liabilities. “An attempt has been made to conceal the committed liabilities. It is more than evident that the revenue had been shown more just show fewer losses,” he remarked. He questioned the claims of 40 per cent increase in revenue from the excise policy.

Taking a jibe at the government for claiming to be pro-employees, he said every section of employees was dissatisfied and taken to the roads, while jobless youth were demanding resumption of recruitment process. The government has failed to fulfil the promise of providing 20,000 jobs, he added.

Thakur said it was with a big fanfare that the Chief Minister had announced making Himachal a Green State but little had been done to achieve it. “Even after a year how many diesel buses been bought and how many electric charging stations have been set up,” he quipped. There was big talk of making Kangra the tourism capital of Himachal but not a penny had been allocated for it in this year’s Budget, he said.

Thakur said there are six government medical colleges in Himachal and almost 700 doctors pass out every year but not even a single post of doctor had been filled. “We had created 500 posts of doctors and filled 300 posts but you have failed to appoint even a single doctor in the last one year,” he said. He said despite announcing starting of PET scan facility at all medical colleges, you have failed to start it at even a single place.