Ibobi ridicules blame on Cong Govt for financial mess
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, August 02 2022:
Strongly disapproving allegations being levelled by some ruling party members of the House that the incumbent state government could not take up development works due to huge loan procured during 15 years of Congress rule prior to the present BJP government, Opposition leader O Ibobi Singh said loans procured during the Congress regime were utilised in infrastructure development.
Raising policy cut motion when the demand for grants of finance department was moved in the House on the 8th day of assembly session Tuesday, O Ibobi asserted the Congress party was able to serve people for 15 long years due to their love and affection for the party and it performed its duty accordingly.
Government will come and go but it will be wrong to blame past governments for the present mess, he said and strongly disapproved the remark made by a member of the House that the present government could not be take any development work due to Rs 9000 crore loan taken during Congress government.
He said that Reserve Bank of India closely monitors financial position of every state of the country and accordingly one state cannot act independently on taking loan.
According to O Ibobi, outstanding fiscal liability mentioned in the Manipur Budget at a Glance, 2022-23 tabled in the on-going session was Rs 16,000 crore but fiscal liability during the Congress regime between March 31, 2002 to March 31, 2017 was only Rs 6610 crore.
Accumulated liability before the Congress regime was Rs 2197 crore and the combined liability during that time was Rs 8807 crore.
State's liability as of March 31, 2022 was Rs 13,510 crore and the liability reached around Rs 16,000 crore at the end of July, 2022 .
This means that the present government procured loan amounting around Rs 10,000 crore from various financial sources like corporations, NABARD, market borrowing, negotiated loan and from financial institutions in the past five years, Ibobi said adding that government might have procured the loan out of necessity.
He also claimed to be aware about how much loan the present BJP government procured from various sources since its inception.
He then stressed that filling up of vacant posts of doctors, nurses and paramedical staffs may be given due importance since improving health sector relates to development of other sectors.
Mentioning about education, the opposition leader said that education sector may also be given due priority.
The results pending regarding the recruitment of different posts particularly in Health and Education department may be declared with special emphasis.