The Asian Age

Arvinder Singh Lovely says govt yet to utilise funds for health, education

- AGE CORRESPOND­ENT

Congress leader Arvinder Singh Lovely on Friday claimed that the Aam Aadmi Party ( AAP) government had taken on the bureaucrac­y at a wrong time, when it should have been busy holding deliberati­ons over the Delhi’s budget.

He said that it was a matter of shame that chief secretary Anshu Prakash was assaulted by the AAP legislator­s in the presence of chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Mr Lovely, who recently quit the BJP to rejoin Congress, said it is a matter of great shame that the government chose to take on bureaucrat­ic machinery at such a time. It could prove very detrimenta­l for the the city.

“Such acts clearly reflect the lack of seriousnes­s on the government’s part to carry out developmen­tal works for Delhiites.”

He said the government had failed to formulate the revised estimate for 201718 fiscal year as a result of which it had to surrender several thousand crores of rupees.

Reeling of figures, Mr Lovely said, “The AAP government had to pay 4,024 crore in 2015- 16 and

6,245 crore in from plan head

The Congress leader alleged that the government had not spent a single paisa for the capital works taken up by the public works department for weaker sections of the society, industries and fisheries.

“Almost 66 per cent of funds for health, 41 per cent for education and 89 per cent for social welfare capital developmen­t funds remained unutilised till January this year,” Mr Lovely said. 2016- 17 expenditur­e.”

He claimed that of the 1,704 works sanctioned in 2016- 17, only 787 actually started. “Only 31 per cent projects were completed during the same year.”

Till 2016- 17, the Congress leader said that the government used to prepare sector and department­wise monthly progress reports ( MPRs).

“But in the name of the presenting the quarterly outcome budget, the AAP government has discontinu­ed the practice. Now we cannot even track the regular expenditur­e of this government.”

 ??  ?? Arvinder Singh Lovely
Arvinder Singh Lovely

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