“Will Send Details Of How Borrowed Funds Used”: Bhagwant Mann To Governor

Patiala:

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday said his government will give Governor Banwarilal Purohit an account on the money spent out of the debt it raised, and took a swipe at him for not seeking details on borrowings from previous governments.

Purohit had earlier sought details from the Mann dispensation about the utilisation of the Rs 50,000 crore the state government had borrowed.

Addressing a gathering here after the launch of a Rs 550 crore ‘Sehatmand Punjab’ mission, a campaign for the rejuvenation of government hospitals in the state, the chief minister said the reply will be sent to the governor on Tuesday.

“He asked where the money was spent. However, he never asked previous governments about raising Rs 1 lakh crore to Rs 1.50 lakh crore of debt and where that was spent,” he said.

“We have been asked (by the governor) and we have a reply. We will give him an account of the Rs 50,000 crore that we repaid the debt on Punbus, and paid interest on old loans. We have an account of every penny,” Mann added.

Last month, the chief minister urged the governor to take up the issue of the pending Rural Development Fund (RDF) amounting to Rs 5,637.40 crore with the president and the prime minister.

However, in his reply, Purohit had said he learnt that the debt of Punjab rose by about Rs 50,000 crore during the AAP regime and sought details of utilisation of this “huge amount” so that he could convince the prime minister that the money was properly utilised.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)