Gujarat Assembly: Nearly 24% ministers face criminal cases, 94% are crorepatis

Nearly 24 per cent ministers have criminal cases against them in the newly-formed Gujarat Assembly.

As far as the financial background of the ministers is concerned, about 94 per cent of them are crorepatis.

Gujarat Election Watch and Association for Democratic Reforms have analysed the self-sworn affidavits of all 17 ministers, including that of the Chief Minister.

The ADR report said that a total of 4 or 24 per cent ministers have declared criminal cases against themselves. It also said that one or 6 per cent has declared a serious criminal case pending against his name.

On their assets, the ADR report said that out of the 17 ministers analysed, 16 or 94 per cent are crorepatis. The average assets of 17 ministers analysed is Rs 32.70 crore.

Balvantsinh Chandansinh Rajput from Sidhpur constituency is the richest minister having assets worth Rs 372.65 crore, while Khabad Bachubhai Maganbhai from Devgadhbaria constituency has the lowest declared total assets of Rs 92.85 lakh.

A total of 14 ministers have declared liabilities out of which the minister with the highest liabilities is Balvantsinh Chandansinh Rajput of Sidhpur constituency with Rs 12.59 crore of liabilities.

As per the report, 6 or 35 per cent ministers have declared their educational qualification to be between 8th and 12th standard while 8(47 per cent)ministers have declared having an educational qualification of graduate or above and three (18 per cent) ministers are Diploma holders.

The ADR report said that there (18 per cent) ministers have declared their age to be between 31 and 50 years while 14 (82 per cent) are said to be be between 51 and 80 years.

Of the 17 ministers, 1 or 6 per cent is a woman.