'It's a reform': Haryana CM Khattar defends e-tendering

Tribune News Service

Bhartesh Singh Thakur

Chandigarh, March 21

Claiming to have brought transformation in the system, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today took on sarpanches for opposing e-tendering and alleged that some of them had even reasoned that they had spent money on polls and were worried about contracts being handed over to unknown.

Now, MLAs can spend in urban areas too

Now, the MLAs can spend Rs 2 crore being given under the “Vidhayak Adarsh Gram Yojana” for the development works in the urban areas as well. Earlier, they could spend the grant in the rural areas only. The scheme has been renamed as “Adarsh Nagar Evam Gram Yojana”. Manohar Lal Khattar, CM

Attacking former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda, he made a point-by-point rebuttal of the Opposition allegations while giving a reply to the Budget 2023-24 discussions.

He lauded the initiatives on water conservation, natural farming and “Beti Bachao Beti Padhao” in the Budget as the visionary. He said the state had fought hard for the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal and would definitely get it now.

Terming the “Parivar Pehchan Patra” (family ID programme), “Meri Fasal Mera Byora” (portal for direct payment to farmers), and Haryana Engineering Works Portal as fundamental changes in the system, he said these initiatives initially faced challenges but would bring transparency and end corruption.

Khattar said Hooda gave five different debt figures in the last few months. “On November 22, 2022, he said it was Rs 3.11 lakh crore and on November 29, 2022, and February 1, 2023, he quoted around Rs 4 lakh crore. On February 22, he said it was Rs 3.19 lakh crore while on February 23, he said it was Rs 2.85 lakh crore. Different figures have been quoted…It affects his credibility,” he added.

Taking a poetic jibe, he said, “Jhooth Bola Hai To Us Par Kayam Raho Zafar, Aadmi Ko Sahab-E-Kirdar Hona Chahiye (If you have lied, then be firm on it ‘Zafar’, a man should be a gentleman).”

Attacking the Opposition, he said it had mixed the figures under three different heads to arrive at the final debt.

He told the House that the State Public Enterprises loan was Rs 69,922 crore in 2014-15, while in 2021-22, the figure was Rs 47,211 crore.

“Our GSDP is constantly increasing. At present, it is up to Rs 10 lakh crore. The debt limit was increased from 25 to 33% during the Covid period. We are within the prescribed limit of around 26-27% while the neighbouring Punjab is at 48%,” said Khattar.

He said the Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) had a pending debt of Rs 14,334. Out of this, about Rs 6,000 crore had been settled, while the Haryana State Infrastructure and Industrial Development Corporation had a debt of Rs 13,881 crore, out of which around Rs 7,000 crore had been settled.

The power utilities had a debt of more than Rs 37,000 crore, which had been reduced to Rs 14,800 crore, said Khattar.

On agriculture, Khattar said for 2023-24, Rs 7,314 crore had been allocated for agriculture and allied sectors, which was 3.9% of the total Budget and over 27% jump from the revised Budget estimates for 2022-23. Comparing it with the Hooda regime, he said that in 2014-15, the total allocated Budget for agriculture was Rs 2,156 crore..

The CM announced that Balsamand women’s college in the Adampur constituency would be named after former CM Bhajan Lal, and 4,000 new playway schools would be opened. The Budget was passed unanimously in the House.

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