Will probe ₹3 lakh crore debt left by previous governments: Bhagwant Mann

Chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday said that his government will investigate the huge debt of ₹3 lakh crore piled up by previous regimes and make recovery

Chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday said that his government will investigate the huge debt of ₹3 lakh crore piled up by previous regimes and make recovery.

The previous governments have left a debt of ₹3 lakh crore on Punjab. But where has this money been used, the party’s state unit said in a tweet while quoting chief minister Bhagwant Mann. (HT File Photo)

The decision was announced by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) through a tweet. “Previous governments have left a debt of ₹3 lakh crore on Punjab. But where has this money been used? We will investigate and make recovery. It is people’s money,” the party’s state unit said in a tweet while quoting the chief minister.

The state has a debt-gross state domestic product ratio of 45% and its outstanding debt has been piling up continuously. The budget 2021-22 pegged the debt at more than ₹2.82 lakh crore at the end of the financial year. During the recently held state polls, the AAP had blamed the Congress and the SAD for the piling debt whereas the two traditional parties, which took turns to rule the state for nearly seven decades, pointed the finger at each other.

CM meets AAP MLAs

Mann also held meetings with some party MLAs during the day to gather feedback. Several MLAs from Ludhiana and Fatehgarh Sahib met the chief minister and raised issues pertaining to their assembly segments, besides sharing public feedback on announcements made by the state government. A few of them also complained to the CM about officials, particularly policemen, in their areas and suggested mass transfers to set things right. Last month, Mann had met women MLAs of the party to take feedback from them.