BJP-led Haryana government on Friday accused the previous Congress regime of leaving the state in "fiscal stress" by announcing "fund exhausting" decisions which put a huge financial burden on the state's exchequer.
Manohar Lal Khattar-led government also expressed concern over high revenue deficit and ballooning debt though it exuded confidence that it would bring the state out of "precarious" financial situation by focusing on transparency and accountability. "The present fiscal health of the state is in crisis, there is no doubt about it. Revenue deficit is very high, debt servicing has increased. The state's plan expenditure is less while non-plan expenditure is growing," Haryana Finance Minister Captain Abhimanyu said in Chandigarh on Friday.
The new Finance Minister held previous Congress government responsible for putting "heavy" financial burden on the state. "Announcements made by them (Hooda government) in this election year put heavy financial burden on the state's exchequer," he said. On being asked, he said he would present full detail pertaining financial burden after the State's assembly session next week.
On revenue collection, he said that state could achieve 15% growth in tax mobilization, though it would not be sufficient to meet the rising revenue expenditure. Haryana had projected revenue deficit of Rs 5,013 crore for 2014-15, thrice of what it was in 2011-12. As per Fiscal Responsibility and Budgetary Management (FRBM) Act 2005, the existing revenue deficit should have been zero. Notably, Haryana remained a revenue surplus state for a period starting from 2005-06 till 2007-08. Significantly, Haryana's debt burden grew by over 200 per cent to Rs 81,806 crore (Budget Estimates for (2014-15) since 2005-06.
Abhimanyu, who has got a host of portfolios including of finance, Excise and Taxation, Revenue and Disaster Management, Forests and Environment, Industry and Commerce, said that the new government would put information pertaining to state's fiscal health in public domain to let them know what the BJP government has got from the previous incumbent. "We will bring in the knowledge of every one about state's fiscal health. We will tell them what is the actual position now and what we propose do to put fiscal situation in order," he said. "Transparency and accountability will be our focus area," he further said.
The minister said that the new government would focus on manufacturing sector and fast track clearances to new projects proposals which would spur state's industrial growth. He took a dig at the previous government for allegedly not implementing the single window clearance announced in the industrial policy 2007. "We will implement single window clearance. People are interested in setting up industrial projects in the state," he said.
"The offices will be made paperless and total computerization will be done to bring transparency in functioning," he said, adding that Departments will be given time-bound targets to achieve the desired results. Referring to fiscal health of state-owned undertakings, the minister said that the Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC) was facing huge debt of over Rs 5,000 crore. "About 10,000 acres of land is still in pipeline for acquisition. How HSIIDC will get funds for acquisition," he said. HSIIDC is the nodal agency of Haryana Government to develop industrial and its support infrastructure in the state.
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