BJP leader demands white paper on fiscal health of Himachal Pradesh

Hamirpur (HP), April 11 (PTI) Senior BJP leader Rajendra Rana on Friday demanded a white paper on the fiscal health of Himachal Pradesh and accused the Congress government of diverting central funds.

In a statement issued here, the former Sujanpur MLA said the state is on the verge of economic bankruptcy and the government should issue a white paper on its economic condition so that public can know the truth.

Rana alleged that at the beginning of the financial year, the government took a Rs 900 crore loan when there is an overdraft of Rs 1,500 crore in the treasury. Apart from this, the payment of approved bills worth Rs 4,000 crore is also pending in various departments.

Rana said also accused the "bureaucracy and power nexus" of financial mismanagement, claiming that central funds coming to the state are being diverted illegally. He said many big officials are going to be caught in this "scam" in future.

The BJP leader alleged that Rs 600 crore sent from Centre for the railway project was diverted to distribute salaries instead of using it for land acquisition, and said this is "a type of financial fraud".

Similarly, the Rs 327 crore received under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, which was to be used to build roads connecting hilly villages, was also spent on other expenses without any planning, he said.

Rana also said that out of the Rs 900 crore loan taken by the government this month, Rs 450 crore is to be spent on land acquisition for Gaggal airport, while the total cost of this project runs into thousands of crores of rupees.

The government is planning to take another loan of Rs 2,200 crore, while this is only the first month of the new financial year. PTI COR BPL RUK RUK

Source: PTI