Industry Minister Mukesh Agnihotri and Excise and Taxation Minister Prakash Chaudhary ridiculed the statement of former Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal regarding the failure in getting a hike in the Annual Plan size and advised him to verify facts before making any such statements.
Ministers said that the Planning Commission approved Rs 4,100 crore for 2013-14 compared to a Plan size of Rs 3,700 crore for 2012-13 which marked an increase of about 11 per cent. They added the State Plan Assistance (SPA) and the Special Central Assistance (SCA) approved in 2012-13 was Rs 1,400 crore but the same was reduced to Rs 1,293.01 crore for which the BJP government was responsible. The Congress government had got an additional amount of Rs 106.9 crore this March.
They said Central Assistance consisted of Normal Central Assistance, SPA and SCA which had increased from Rs 2,790 crore in 2012-13 to Rs 2,851 crore in 2013-14. They added that the Planning Commission had fixed loans proposed to be raised during 2013-14 as per 3 per cent of gross state domestic product limit.
Accusing Dhumal for misleading public over load liabilities, Congress Cabinet Ministers revealed that the state government had a loan liability of Rs 21,241 crore on March 31, 2008 which increased to Rs 28,513 crore on March 31, 2013, which is astonishing Rs. 7,272 crore increase in five years.
