Himachal Financial Crisis: Minister Blames Centre

Shimla Nov 5, (PTI) Himachal Pradesh is going through a rough financial phase and to meet the liabilities and capital expenditure, the government needs money, said Public Works Department Minister Vikramaditya Singh on Monday.

Responding to the statement of the BJP state president Dr Rajiv Bindal who had blamed the present Congress government of taking a loan of Rs 10,300 crore in its 10-month tenure, he alleged that the central government is not providing any financial assistance to the state and has also decreased the state's borrowing capacity.

Addressing the media persons, he said Union Minister Nitin Gadkari during his visit to disaster-hit Kullu had announced to grant Rs 275 crore for the upgradation of Major District Roads (MDR) to the state, but no funds have been received till date.

He said that Gadkari had also assured Rs 100 crore for bridges under Setu Bharatam and the state government had even sent the detailed project report to the Centre but it has not received any money.

Singh also lashed out at the Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur for thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi for providing financial relief to the state during the disaster and asked that on what basis he was thanking the central government when the state has not received any relief.

He also challenged Thakur to hold a press conference and asked him to present the exact figures of the amount that he has brought for the state during the disaster.

Reacting to Singh's allegations that the Centre has not given any additional funds for disaster management, BJP's state vice president Hansraj on Monday asked him to "check the facts before making allegations."

He said that the issues raised by the minister in his press conference were politically motivated and an attempt to seek cheap publicity, he said in a statement.

The Centre has given more than Rs 2,000 crore to Himachal Pradesh, which the state has included in its special package and even the sum of Rs 225 crore under Aapda Rahat Kosh and MLA local area development fund have been diverted towards the package, he asserted.

The BJP leader claimed that besides Rs 2,700 crore for the construction of roads and bridges under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, Rs 100 crore were given under housing scheme, Rs 403.53 crore under the National Disaster Response Fund and Rs 360.80 crore under the state disaster response fund.