EMN
DIMAPUR, JUNE
THE Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) has heartily welcomed the vindication of more than 12 years that the financial condition of the state is in dire condition, admitted by none other than the chief minister of Nagaland TR Zeliang on June 17. While welcoming his statement NPCC has, however, reminded that it is too late for the exchequer; what needs now is fixing responsibility on those who misused the funds, the NPCC has challenged Zeliang.
For a long time now, the Congress had been insisting – and even issuing financial data to prove – that the Naga People’s front-led Democratic Alliance of Nagaland had been hoary on the state’s finances.
“The belated admission by Chief Minister TR Zeliang on the poor financial position of the state is worth recounting 11 years of blatant misdeeds perpetrated by the DAN govt that has finally landed the state into a deep financial crisis without any signs of recovery,” the media bureau of the NPCC stated in a press release received here on Wednesday. “The DAN govt had placed all their trust on the BJP govt coming to power at the centre and rescuing them from their financial misery while blaming the Congress led UPA for not giving sufficient funds, forgetting that their blatant financial mismanagement has even made the BJP govt to refrain from committing any increase in flow of funds.”
Since coming to power for the third term in 2013, the Congress stated, DAN had been talking of “austerity measures” while “conveniently forgetting” to implement it. “The mad rush by all the DAN legislators followed by majority of bureaucrats and technocrats to buy the latest luxury vehicle in the market has become the symbol of DAN govt’s austerity slogan before the public. The present Jumbo sized ministry of DAN III belittles all talks of austerity and corrective measures on ailing financial health of the state,” the NPCC stated.
The opposition also stated that random appointments of state employees “through backdoor” has inflated the number of state government employees to over 1.20 lakhs in the midst of financial crisis and announcement of austerity measures . It continues to be a heavy burden on the state exchequer, the Congress has stated.
“Over 3000 crores are spent on salary payment which is over and above what the XIII FC recommended. Huge escalation in all major contracts works ranging from 100% to 775% has become the norm rather than exception. The cricket stadium at Sovima being the prime example where original work order amount for 8.29 crore was revised to 72.59 crore,” the Congress stated.
The year 2013-14 was “plan holiday for the state” as a result of DAN’s “misdeeds,” Congress stated, adding that the current year is also headed for the same outcome. “The deficit figure has touched over 2000 crores; BCR gap over 1500 crores in negative and Debt Servicing has become unmanageable. The amounts shown in Civil Deposit are all Book Adjustment as there is no cash in the bank. The state government has again resorted to borrowing in the open market to pay the salaries of its employees that is fast running out of options.”
The only things that the DAN government has achieved in the past 11 years have been “Plan holiday, state of lawlessness and total misgovernance,” (sic) the NPCC stated.
The Congress has reminded that the DAN government has only got themselves to blame for landing the state in this present financial crisis. “After looting the state exchequer without any inhibitions for the past 11 years, it is too late in the day to talk about somewhere something has gone wrong when they are not prepared to punish the perpetrators,” the opposition stated.
The NPCC has challenged the DAN headed by TR Zeliang as chief minister to initiate action against the political leaders and officials responsible for the present financial crisis. “Talking about taking corrective measures without fixing accountability will just remain an empty rhetoric,” the Congress added.
