E-Paper
AAP’s mismanagement behind ‘poor’ economy: Bajwa
Punjab leader of the Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa says Punjab’s debt was ₹2,81,773 crore in 2022 when the AAP got hold of the state whereas it is projected to touch ₹4.17 lakh crore by the end of this fiscal year
Partap Singh Bajwa, leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Punjab assembly, on Wednesday said the Aam Aadmi Party-led government had “wreaked havoc” on Punjab’s economy.
Bajwa said that against the open market borrowing limit of ₹47,076.40 crore sought by the AAP government, the Centre imposed a cut of ₹16,676 crore. “The question is why does the Punjab government depend so much on borrowing? Why could the AAP government not raise revenue from other sources as promised before the assembly elections?” Bajwa asked.
“Before the assembly elections in Punjab, AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal had promised to raise revenue from sources, including ₹20,000 crore annually from mining and ₹34,000 crore annually by ending corruption. Due to the financial mismanagement under the three-year regime of AAP, Punjab has been badly caught in a debt trap,” Bajwa stated.
Bajwa said that in 2022, when the AAP got hold of Punjab, the outstanding debt on Punjab was ₹2,81,773 crore. By the end of this fiscal year (2025-26), the state’s public debt is projected to touch ₹4.17 lakh crore, he said, adding that economists had predicted that the debt would touch ₹4,50,000 crore by the end of 2026-27, the last year of this government’s term.
