Cong seeks white paper on state finances
Saturday, 08/11/2014
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2014/20141108/punjab.htm#7
Jalandhar : Demanding a white paper on the state’s financial health, PPCC spokesman Jaiveer Shergill today demanded that the SAD-BJP government should explain to the people why governance had come to a standstill.
He said even essential services had been hit. “Officers are being forced to spend money on vehicles for emergencies. Leave aside TA, DA and LTC, even telephone bills are not being reimbursed. Promotions too have been put on hold because of financial implications,” he said.
Senior citizens had not been paid pension since months and students were not getting scholarships, Shergill said. "The state's overdraft has crossed Rs 1,100 crore. The government has tried to raise funds by mortgaging its properties, but even this too had not helped with banks refusing to give the state any more loans," he said.
Even as the government had failed to mobilise resources and "frittered away" central funds on unplanned expenditure, it was now putting pressure on private businesses to raise funds. “Private businesses, are being coerced into coughing up money on one pretext or the other.
“We demand that the SAD-BJP government comes out with a white paper on the state’s finances,” Shergill said. He said the SAD-BJP government had promised the people of the state that cash would flow once Narendra Modi took over as Prime Minister. “It is clear the BJP is not in a mood to help out the Akalis,” he added
