Jakhar for probe into use of central funds by state govt
Friday, 03/10/2014
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CHANDIGARH: Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Sunil Jakhar on Thursday said the Punjab government had failed to fully utilise the financial assistance that the previous Congress-led UPA government had given for crop diversification.
CHANDIGARH: Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Sunil Jakhar on Thursday said the Punjab government had failed to fully utilise the financial assistance that the previous Congress-led UPA government had given for crop diversification.
The state CLP leader stated that as per the report of the union government released in August, the Punjab agriculture department had submitted a utilisation report for ` 161 crore, whereas the total allocation was ` 445 crore, of which ` 224 crore had been released as the first instalment.
Taking a dig at the SAD-BJP government for ‘unnecessarily’ criticising the previous UPA government for lack of financial assistance to the agricultural sector, the state CLP leader sought an inquiry by an independent agency to ascertain how central government funds amounting to ` 1,500 crore were utilised since 2007.
“Millions of farmers were deprived of the benefits that the central government sought to offer them through various welfare schemes. The wrong policies being pursued by the state had resulted in 25% fall in cotton and paddy prices,” Jakhar said in a press statement issued here.
The delay in submitting utilisation certificates for funds received from the Centre under other schemes brings under a cloud the functioning of the state government, Jakhar added.
