No magic wand to end troubles inherited from SAD-BJP government, says Captain

CHANDIGARH: Hitting out at critics, Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Friday said six months was hardly sufficient to judge the performance of his government. The government has not only implemented many of its poll promises but has also set in motion the process of bringing the state economy back on track.

In a statement issued here on Friday, the CM said it was unfortunate that after plunging the state into one of its worst financial crises, the Akalis were resorting to street politics in a bid to undermine the numerous achievements of the Congress government. As for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), they had always followed a negative political philosophy and continued to indulge in the same, despite the severe setback in the Punjab assembly polls, he said.

The CM said his government did not have a magic wand to wipe away the multifarious problems it had inherited from the previous SAD-BJP government as a result of 10 years of its misrule. However, the achievements notched up by his government in just six months had not only set the stage for Punjab’s development but also underlined its intentions and commitment to bring the state back in progress, he said.

Pointing out that the process to waive farm loans had already been initiated, the CM said his government was waiting for the central assistance in terms of relaxation in the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act, 2003, and enhancement in the borrowing limit to enable the state government to meets its agriculture debt waiver commitments. He said he had already taken up the issue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Amarinder said the central government’s GST contribution, which had to come in June, had been pushed back to September, leading to postponement in payment of salaries to government employees. Unfortunately, the state, with its empty coffers, was not in a position to pay salaries, he said.

On drugs and unemployment, the CM said the STF set up by his government had succeeded in breaking the backbone of the drug mafia in the state and some three-lakh jobs have already been created.

Amarinder said the ₹5 per unit power tariff announced by his government will soon be notified and the projects committed by industries and business houses were also being rolled out.

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The achievements notched up by us in just six months had not only set the stage for Punjab’s development but also underlined its intentions. AMARINDER SINGH, Punjab CM