Himachal Budget hide fiscal debt & loan liabilities:LOP

Himachal Pradesh Congress on criticised the state budget for 2022-23 accusing the government to hide fiscal debt and loan liabilities, this was stated by thee leader of Opposition Mukesh Agnihorti while intiating budget discussion in the state assembly here on Saturday.

“Budget mismanagement which would push the state towards bankruptcy seems to be a request (antim ardas) in front of the electorate ahead of assembly polls in the state for getting their mandate.” Agnihotri said.The budget document has projected 8.3 per cent growth rate in the financial year 2021-22 which is impossible if we compare it with minus 6.2 in 2020-21. I want to ask what magic you have done to make such a turnaround in the economy,” he said, while terming it as mere hollow statistics.He accused the Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur government of utilising government funds for party functions and said the government failed to address the concern of employees on old pension scheme and policy for outsource employees.

He lashed at the government for filing FIR against 44 employees for their protest for seeking old pension and added the government meted out injustice to them and also to unemployed youth as no measures were announced for job creation. In addition, there is no mention on resource generation or mobilisation, he said while asking the state government to list austerity measures to curb the wasteful expenditure during his tenure to rescue fiscal debt.

Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur while countering Agnihotri’s allegations, said the opposition members shouldn’t distort facts and cry foul or scams without any concrete evidence.

“We know that being in opposition you have to criticise the state government as no one expects appreciation nor we don’t want it on various people centric measures announced for the poor and needy,” he added. He also accused the opposition leader for spreading lies on debt liabilities of the state and said no government is able to run its affairs without borrowing. But during our tenure, loans were necessitated due to Covid pandemic while the previous Congress government took debt just for their luxuries as there was no pandemic-like situation.

He added that various schemes which were announced in the budget were just extensions of previous one which were started in the first year of BJP rule and these were strengthened by the government.