Punjab economy gone from bad to worse: Manish Tewari
Saturday, 07/09/2013
http://www.punjabnewsline.com/punjab/punjab-economy-gone-from-bad-to-worse-manish-tewari/8625
CHANDIGARH: Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari today said that during the last six years the Punjab economy had gone from bad to worse and people at the helm of affairs here had proved beyond doubt that they were not capable of managing the state’s economy.
“Rs 1 lakh crores debt is too difficult to explain”, he remarked, while adding, during the last six years all norms of economic management have been violated and thrown to winds and the results are before everybody to see.
Replying to a question while talking to reporters after addressing the SAARC Engineers Conference here today, about Punjab government’s demand to the Finance Commission, Tewari said while he will leave that (the state’s demand to the FC) to the wisdom of the Finance Commission, but he wanted to ask the state government as what went wrong with the economy during the last six years.
He said, never has it happened that the state government had to mortgage its buildings to generate loans for paying salaries to its employees. Asserting that the state government must issue a white paper as what went wrong, he said, the people of Punjab have a right to know and the state government owed an explanation to them.
The Minister wondered as why was the state running away from debating and discussing the issue. “Just by going on the denial mode and claiming that all was well with the economy does not make the economy well”, he remarked while adding the governments with healthy economies do not mortgage their properties for paying salaries to their employees.
