Over Rs 300 Crore Spent By Punjab During Coronavirus Pandemic: Chief Minister
The Leader Minister says Punjab has now not allowed fiscal crunch to return in manner of Covid control. (Document)
Chandigarh:
Punjab Leader Minister Amarinder Singh has mentioned that the Rs 64 crore within the “CM Aid Fund” being wondered through the opposition Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) was once a minuscule of the over Rs 300 crore already spent through his executive on offering COVID care and linked bills.
He mentioned the fund have been put aside through his executive for emergency functions.
Ridiculing the SAD for criticising the state executive for spending handiest Rs 2.28 crore from the volume collected within the CM Aid Fund for COVID fortify, Mr Singh, in a remark, mentioned the supply of financing COVID-related expenditures was once completely beside the point.
“The essential factor is that regardless of overall absence of monetary fortify drawing close from the central executive, of which SAD is part, the state executive has now not allowed the fiscal crunch to return in the way in which of COVID control,” he mentioned.
“If the Akalis have been in any respect taken with COVID care within the state, they must ask the Centre why that they had did not fortify the Punjab executive on this vital time,” the executive minister mentioned.
The cash being contributed through electorate to the “CM Aid Fund” was once an emergency fund that the state executive had put aside to satisfy exigent pressing wishes as and when required, when there is not any rapid trade useful resource to be had to it, he added.
Mr Singh mentioned that given the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic, it was once essential to stay such emergency budget in readiness to satisfy any eventuality.
“On the other hand, the Akalis obviously didn’t imagine in such emergency preparedness, as was once obvious from the various circumstances of mishandling of disaster eventualities right through their 10-year-rule,” he added.
The Rs 64,86,10,456 steadiness within the CM Aid Fund was once a drop within the ocean in comparison to the crores of rupees already spent through his executive on infrastructural upgradation, putting in place of COVID care centres, roping in more clinical and para-medical team of workers, acquire of PPE kits and different crucial apparatus for scuffling with the coronavirus, Mr Singh identified.
“As of date, the Well being Division on my own had spent just about Rs 150 crore on COVID care necessities like VTM kits, PPE and N95, triple layer mask, medication, consumable, oxygen cylinders, ambulances, amongst different issues,” he mentioned.
The state executive additionally spent Rs 29.five crore on enabling five.20 lakh migrant employees to return to their house states by way of 398 Shramik particular trains, the executive minister mentioned. Crores of rupees have been spent on meals and crucial provides to the deficient and marginalised other people around the state, he added.
“As a substitute of losing their time on non-issues and deceptive the folk with their unwarranted and baseless accusations and allegations on this vital time, the Akalis must spouse the state executive in preventing the COVID pandemic,” he added.
SAD senior vice chairman and birthday party spokesman Daljit Singh Cheema mentioned the executive minister is “nonetheless hiding the main points in regards to the State Crisis Aid Fund which is mendacity undisbursed with the state with an quantity of greater than Rs 6,000 crore”.
The SAD chief mentioned the executive minister will have to provide an explanation for that why this fund was once now not utilised to compensate the lack of livelihood to lakhs of other people from other sections of society, together with professional employees, day by day wagers, small investors, rickshaw pullers, taxi drivers, and so forth.
The birthday party additionally raised questions about spending of Rs 29.five crore enabling five.20 lakh migrant labourers to return to their properties and mentioned that “announcement for this programme was once executed through none rather then Congress president Sonia Gandhi and he or she had declared that those bills shall be borne through the Congress birthday party”.
“This presentations that the Congress birthday party has befooled the general public through the usage of ex-chequer cash whilst befooling the general public,” Daljit Singh Cheema mentioned in a remark.
