Dharamshala (Tapovan), Dec 22 (UNI) Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said on Friday that the double engine government of former Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur could not spend the allotted Rs 4032 crore during the financial years 2020–21 and 2021–22.
He was replying to a query from Hoshiyar Singh during the question hours on Friday.
The Chief Minister said, “They could not untally Rs 2032.27 crore in 2020–21 and 2320.93 crore in 2021–22 because the funds had lapsed. They are raising the issue of unemployment in the house to cover up their own misdeeds. ‘The independent members, Hoshiyar Singh, wanted to raise these hard queries, but the opposition was aware of it, and they came out with the adjournment motion to face this issue. The government could not utilise the funds received during its rule and is questioning this government for the vacant posts.”
The Chief Minister also said, “The Rs 408 Cr and Rs 611.21 Cr allocated to the state under the SC/ST component for FY 2020–21 and 2021–22 remained unspent, and the latter had lapsed. He said that the double-engine government did not release Rs 465.16 crore and Rs 360.81 crore for health and Rs 589.28 crore and 348.86 crore for education in FY 2020–21 and 21–22.
The Rs 240 crore provided for the modernization of state police could not be spent; despite this fact, the money remained unspent, and police jawans protested the provision of a daily diet as only Rs seven was being provided to them.”
Thakur said, “The independent member is right, as the police jawan who served day and night for the security of people was befooled by the previous government.”
Ajay Solanki of Nahan (Congress) raised the issue of the pipe scam under the Jal Jiwan Mission (JJM) during the previous BJP government and alleged that public money was also misutilized for the sake of vote bank in the election year 2022 by the previous rule.
Replying to his query, Deputy CM Mukesh Angihotri said, “It was famous during the BJP under JJM that Nalh was without Jal (tap without water). He also said that funds were misutilized under JJM, and the department dug up the entire misappropriation of funds, benefiting the contractors instead of the general public. Now the government has completed all the construction of the water scheme under JJM time bounds.”
He accused the BJP members that they could not hide their misdeed by making noise in the house as they are today punished by the people and sitting in the opposition.
