Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 20: Harshdev Singh, JKNPP chairman and former Minister, has expressed grave concern over the unprecedented cash crunch faced by the State of J&K resulting in whopping liability of Rs 2200 crore pending in various Treasuries of the State.
In a statement, he said that Planning Commission of India now re-christened as NITI Aayog, had indicated a ceiling of Rs 7300 crore under Annual Plan, 600 crore under PMRP and 4000 crore under Centrally sponsored schemes for 2014-15 but shockingly not even 50 percent of the funds under the aforesaid heads had been released causing unprecedented crisis in the State. He said that it was most deportable that despite the current financial year coming to a close the desirable amount of funds had not been released in favour of the State which had stalled all developmental related activity and created impediments in the creation of public infrastructure envisaged for the current year.
Harshdev Singh regretted in particular the prejudicial treatment to Jammu as out of the Rs 2200 crore Treasury bills pending in the State, Rs 1415 crore pertained to Jammu region. He said that it was further deplorable that apart from the bills of contractors from R&B, Irrigation, PHE, Flood Control, JMC, Rural Development, JMC pending for several months, the treasury bills of employees and pensioners on account of GP Fund Gratuity, pension arrears besides medical claims also remained pending.
He said that the financial aid to a State is its constitutional right which can’t be affected by the change of political dispensation or imposition of Governor rule. He said that people have in fact higher expectations during Governor rule due to lack of prejudices and unbiased system of Governance.
Flaying the alleged discriminatory approach of NITI Aayog, Mr Singh called upon the Prime Minister to intervene and to restrain the said planning institute from according any prejudicial treatment to a sensitive State like J&K.
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