Working to rev up finances, but no support from Centre: Finance Minister Harpal Cheema

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 31
Finance Minister Harpal Cheema has said that the AAP government in Punjab is trying to rev up the state’s revenue, but the lack of support by the BJP-led Centre is thwarting those efforts. “The BJP hates Punjab and Punjabis,” he declared.

“Over the past two years, since the Aam Aadmi Party government has come to power, the BJP-led Centre has refused to give anything to Punjab. We have raised various demands, but none of those has been met. Though I have been part of pre-Budget consultative meetings with the Union Finance Minister, she has also not given anything to Punjab. In fact, the name of Punjab did not figure even once in this Budget,” he said.

Refuses comment on Cabinet rejig
Cheema refused to comment on the possibility of a Cabinet reshuffle in the near future saying it was the domain of the CM. He, however, agreed that three Cabinet berths were vacant and would have to be filled. “Only our CM and party’s national convener Arvind Kejriwal can decide on that issue,” he said.

No change in AAP vote bank
There was no shifting of AAP vote bank during the Lok Sabha poll. Issues are different for the parliamentary and Assembly elections. People choose a PM in the LS poll. But we are as strong in Punjab as before, which is proven by our resounding victory in the Jalandhar (West) bypoll. Harpal Cheema, Punjab Finance Minister

Among the key demands that the AAP government has made from the Centre is to give a tax holiday for those setting up industry in the border districts of the state, as is the case with Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. Because of this, industrial units have been shifting to these neighbouring states. “This is discrimination against Punjab,” he said.
Cheema said the state government had also sought the formation of a policy for checking stubble burning, with the Centre pitching in with some fiscal benefits to be given to the farmers to stop them from burning crop stubble.
The FM was speaking to The Tribune, as part of the newspaper’s interview for its digital platform, Decode Punjab. He said no one should link power subsidy with the release of additional grants/funds, as the subsidy was a kind of financial support to farmers in distress because of high indebtedness in the state.
Talking about the recent visit of the 16th Finance Commission to the state, he said though the commission did not give them any assurance, he was hopeful that it would recommend additional grants for the state. “However, the release of these grants is in the hands of the PM and BJP,” he said, adding that Punjab had demanded Rs 75,000 crore as development fund.
Asked if the state government has taken up this issue with the PM and why the Punjab Government decided to boycott the Niti Aayog meeting, the Finance Minister said CM Bhagwant Mann would go and meet the PM. “But all other ministers regularly go and meet the Union ministers. Our demands are ignored. Last year, the CM went for the Niti Aayog meeting, but the demands raised there were not considered,” he said.
Cheema said it was wrong to link Punjab’s burgeoning debt with the power subsidy. The debt was because of the security cost that the state was made to pay during the days of terrorism. “When there was no free power, the state’s debt, even in 1981 was Rs 1,000 crore. It kept rising during the days of terrorism,” he said. The FM said he was trying to rev up the revenue receipts by cutting wasteful expenditure and plugging holes in tax collection, especially in GST collection.