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Ludhiana, July 5
Former minister and senior vice-president of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD-B) Mahesh Inder Singh Grewal has sought imposition of financial emergency in the state as the government has messed up its finances and brought the state to a brink of disaster.
Grewal, who unsuccessfully contested the Lok Sabha elections from Ludhiana as a SAD-BJP candidate, said such an emergency would wriggle out the state from the present imbroglio and once the state was back on rails again, the emergency would be automatically revoked. “The Punjab Government must realise that this would be in the best interests of the state,” he added.
Pointing out that the Capt Amarinder Singh-led government had grossly failed to meet its financial liabilities, the Akali leader said, “The ambitious and much-hyped Sarbat Sehat Bima Yozna (Universal Health Insurance Scheme) has failed to kick start on July 1 for the paucity of funds. Last year, the government had decided to club the Central Government’s Ayushman Bharat with its own scheme to make it broad-based, but now the people have been duped and denied the health benefits.”
“Similarly, the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) has not received its dues to the tune of Rs 201 crore for the free textbooks given to schoolchildren belonging to Schedule Caste, OBCs and BC. Already, the PSEB has exhausted its reserves to pay the salaries of its employees and pensioners. Shockingly, in this Golden Jubilee year of PSEB, there is nothing to celebrate,” he added.
Grewal said the government had failed to release the committed subsidy of Rs 2,300 crore this year to the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL), leaving a little money to purchase power on day-to-day basis and clear coal dues. The PSPCL officials apprehend that coal supply may trip any day. Instead of bailing out the outfit, ironically, the government has directed it to arrange loans at its own level.
The Local Bodies Department seemed to be worst affected, he added, while saying that the salaries and pensions were rarely released on time. “For months, the salaries are not released, affecting the efficacy and morale of the employees,” he added.
“The overall fiscal scenario is dismal as no DA installment has been released since the Congress government came to power in 2017, and apparently, the government is in no position to improve its revenue inflow,” added Mahesh Inder Singh Grewal.
The ambitious and much-hyped Sarbat Sehat Bima Yozna (Universal Health Insurance Scheme) has failed to kick start on July 1 for the paucity of funds. Last year, the government had decided to club the Central Government's Ayushman Bharat with its own scheme to make it broad-based, but now the people have been duped and denied the health benefits. —Mahesh Inder Singh Grewal, senior vice-president, SAD-B
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