Ongole: White paper sought on state's mounting debts
CPM state secretary V Srinivasa Rao speaking at a press meet in Ongole on Wednesday
Ongole: CPM State secretary V Srinivasa Rao demanded the government to release a white paper on the burden of the loans on the State. He participated in a press meet at Sundaraiah Bhavan here on Wednesday. He said though the government is taking loans of about Rs 45,000 crore per year in the last four years and still fails to pay salaries to employees.
Srinivasa Rao said the state government is meeting the expenditure by bringing in about 25 per cent of the annual budget as loans and made the total loan burden raise to Rs 4.45 lakh crore. But, the government is struggling to pay the salaries and dues to the employees, teachers and even the scheme workers in time. He said the government also failed to pay cosmetic charges and stationery bills to students in welfare hostels, and funds for the Anganwadi Centres, and midday meals in schools.
The CPM AP secretary expressed suspicion on the silence of the YSRCP and TDP MPs in the parliament when other parties are demanding a joint parliament committee or a supreme court committee to investigate the allegations on Adani Group, and demanded them to decide whether they are on public side or Adani's side. He said as the American investment research company revealed Adani's scams, the SBI and LIC suffered a loss of Rs 8 lakh crores. He said the banks may write off the loans taken by Adani later, but ultimately it is public who pays them. He said the state government is with the Adani group, and awarded the Krishnapatnam and Gangavaram ports to it, along with about 75,000 acres for a solar energy plant.
Srinivasa Rao said the Union government did not do justice to the state in the Union budget and not allotted any funds for the capital, Polavaram project and even to the backward districts like Prakasam and Uttarandhra. He said the CPM will start a campaign from February 22 to 28 over the injustice done to the state. The district secretary SD Haneef, and state committee member Punati Anjaneyulu also participated in the press meet.