Capt seeks PM’S intervention to settle ₹31,000-cr CCL gap
CHANDIGARH: Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Monday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene to settle ₹31,000 crore cash credit limit (CCL) on account of the procurement of wheat and paddy, which was wrongly taken over by the previous SAD-BJP regime instead of being adjusted between the Centre and the state.
The CM raised the issue with Modi during a meeting in New Delhi.
“The sum was on account of the non-adjustment of accounts for procurement done by the state agencies for the Food Corporation of India (FCI) from 2003-2004 onwards,” the CM said.
Amarinder said he had been pursuing the matter since he took over as CM and the decision is pending with the Union finance ministry. He said the state is facing an annual interest payment liability of ₹324 crore and the total payoff may touch ₹65,000 crore, which is not tenable for the state.
Amarinder also reiterated his demand for special package for the development of the border areas in Punjab.
He also requested the PM for central financial assistance for the celebrations of the 550th anniversary of the Parkash Utsav of Guru Nanak Dev, beginning November 2019.
Pointing out that 100 years of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre will be observed on April 13, 2019 in Amritsar, and the PM chairs the Jallianwala Bagh Trust, Amarinder said he had sent a request seeking grant of ₹100 crore for development of the surrounding areas and related facilities.
The Chief Minister also took up the issue of the problems being faced by the state’s farmers and reiterated his request for a national debt waiver scheme besides making the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojna 100% centrally funded.
‘Clear Shahpur-kandi dam project soon’
The Punjab CM sought an early clearance of the Shahpurkandi dam project and requested Union minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari to fast-track the project by maintaining the 90:10 ratio between the Centre and the state.
Amarinder raised this issue during a meeting with Gadkari in New Delhi and said an early sanction and completion of the dam was crucial for the predominantly agricultural state.
Also seeking an early clearance of the lining project of the Sirhind feeder and the Rajasthan feeder canal, the CM told Gadkari that he had already requested the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) to bring both canals on priority list.
The chief minister was accompanied by Punjab revenue minister Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria and public works department (PWD) minister Vijay Inder Singla.