SAD demands FM allocate funds of Rs 1.57 lakh crore to fulfill promises made to women, farmers and other sections as well as to implement the health insurance scheme in the State budget.

SAD demands FM allocate funds of Rs 1.57 lakh crore to fulfill promises made to women, farmers and other sections as well as to implement the health insurance scheme in the State budget.

(NK Sharma says in case the govt fails to fulfill its promises in its last budget its MLAs should be ready to face gherao when they go to campaign in cities and villages)

Chandigarh 5 March ( Ranjeet Singh Dhaliwal ) : The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today demanded finance minister Harpal Cheema allocate funds to fulfill promises made to women, farmers, government employees and the common man or be ready to face the ‘gherao’ of its legislators when they visit towns and villages to campaign for the party in the 2027 assembly elections. Addressing a press conference here, senior SAD leader and party’s Trade and Industry wing Chairman N K Sharma said “the AAP government has betrayed each and every section of society. We demand finance minister Harpal Cheema allocate Rs 1.57 lakh crore for various schemes it promised to implement in the forthcoming budget”.

N K Sharma said AAP had promised all women above the age of 18 years a monthly allowance of Rs 1,000 per month. “This allowance was to be paid to one crore women. The accumulated amount due to women for the 60 months duration of AAP tenure is Rs 60,000 crore. The finance minister must ensure this entire allocation is kept in the forthcoming budget to ensure the party’s promise can be kept”. The SAD leader said youth had been promised an unemployment allowance of Rs 3,000 per month and if one was to go by the figures of the Rozgar Portal there were 22.60 lakh unemployed youth who were registered with it. “If all these youth are to be given the promised allowance the government must allocate Rs 40,000 crore for the same”.

Asserting that the government had promised health insurance of 10 lakh to each citizen, Sharma said the government needed to allocate Rs 10,000 crore for this scheme. “In the last budget Rs 773 crore was allocated for this scheme but the entire amount was spent on advertising it only. I also appeal to the finance minister to give a list of persons who have been given an insurance cover of Rs 10 lakh under this scheme so that the truth about this scheme is known to everyone”.

Sharma said farmers had also not been given compensation of Rs 12,000 crore – which was the amount under the central disaster relief fund which the AAP government had misused. “An allocation should be kept for the same”. He also demanded that the finance minister keep aside Rs 10,000 crore to be used to implement the Old Pension Scheme as promised to government employees as well as the Pay Commission and release of 16 per cent Dearness Allowance. He also said the government should allocate Rs 10,000 crore due to the State Electricity Utility to pay off money due to it as well as allocate funds to ensure the industry could be given power for Rs five per unit as promised. “Rs 15,000 crore should also be kept aside to balance the fiscal deficit”, he added.

Asserting that AAP had led the State towards bankruptcy and fiscal debt, Sharma said the government had already taken the State debt to Rs 4.17 lakh crore. “Besides this the State needs to replace the  Rs12, 000 crore funds of the central disaster management fund which it has misused as well as the Rs12, 000 loan taken from GMADA and Rs 10,000 crore to be paid to PSPCL”. He said besides this the government was scheduled to take a loan of Rs 40,000 crore in this fiscal which would take the total debt to Rs 4.91 crore. This will make Punjab the most indebted State in the country”, he added.