Senior Congress leader and state party Chief Virbhadra Singh slammed Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal over his allegation of discrimination by the UPA regime against the state and termed it as a political gimmick. Singh ruled out such allegations and alleged that state government has failed miserably to utilise the Central funds available.
Virbhadra Singh said the state government had not been able to mobilise the resources required through tax and non-tax revenue on account of widespread corruption. He alleged that as a result, it could not utilise at least Rs 10,000 crore available under various Centrally sponsored scheme over the last four years. Singh claimed that State Govt failed to avail Rs 4,000 crore under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) due to its failure to prepare detailed feasibility reports of projects.
Virbhadra Singh pointed out that nearly Rs 1,500 crore was being provided by the Centre every year, besides the budget for the state, under schemes like the MNREGA, the NRHM, the ICDS, the Mid-day Meal Scheme, the Sarv Shiksha Abhiyaan, the National Horticulture Mission and the Bharat Nirman Yojna.
Virbhadra Singh argued that the Centre had been providing liberal assistance to the state, which was evident from the fact that the per capita Plan assistance to the state had increased to Rs 22,963 crore for the 11th Plan and the revenue deficit grant to Rs 1,528 crore in 2010. The Centre had provided the state Rs 44,000 crore for development under the Plan head and the figure would be over Rs 1,50,000 crore if non-Plan assistance was included, he added.
Singh asserted that during 2010-11, Rs 36 crore remained unused under the Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan, Rs 54 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna, Rs 9 crore for computerisation of panchayats, Rs 30 crore for development of ayurveda and Rs 20 crore under Rajiv Gandhi Vidyutikaran Yojna.
Virbhadra Singh advised Dhumal to stop misleading common people and accept his Govt inability to deliver good governance in its tenure.
