New Delhi: Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh today sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s support for encouraging industrial development in the state to revive its economy and create jobs.
At a meeting with the prime minister here, he also requested the Centre’s support for resolution of the agrarian crisis in Punjab.
He sought Modi’s intervention to settle the Rs 31,000- crore debt, resulting from the cash credit limit (CCL) legacy gap of Rs 12,500 crore along with an interest of Rs 18,000 crore.
Rs 3240 crore would be needed to spent every year on debt servicing for the next 20 years at the cost of the welfare schemes of the state, he said, urging that the entire matter be relooked into and the burden be proportionately shared by all agencies concerned in a just and fair manner.
He pointed out that the gap was due to a difference in actual expenditure and expenditure approved in cost sheet approved by the Centre’s Food and Public Distribution (DFPD) department, and the inability of the state government’s agencies to fully repay the CCL.
The DFPD had repeatedly assured the state government of addressing the issue, but there had been no movement on this front so far, he said.
On the CBI investigation into cases of sacrilege and targeted killings of RSS, Hindu and Shiv Sena leaders in Punjab since January 2016, the chief minister noted that despite their best efforts, the central and state police and intelligence agencies had failed to make a breakthrough.
He requested that central intelligence and investigation agencies be instructed to augment their efforts to solve these cases, especially in view of recent inputs indicating plans of militant/radical organisations and individuals to launch more such targeted attacks in Punjab.
—PTI