CPI stages dharna outside Ranike's house
Demanding immediate resignation of Punjab cabinet minister Gulzar Singh Ranike and a CBI probe into the embezzlement of funds meant for development in Attari Block, hundreds of CPI activists staged a dharna outside his residence.
Demanding immediate resignation of Punjab cabinet minister Gulzar Singh Ranike and a CBI probe into the embezzlement of funds meant for development in Attari Block, hundreds of CPI activists staged a dharna outside his residence.
The protesters held a rally inside Ram Bagh and then moved to the residence of the minister to stage a dharna.
District secretary of the CPI, Balwinder Singh, alleged that there was embezzlement even in the shagun scheme. Under the scheme, families from the scheduled caste community with annual income below or up to Rs 30,000 are given Rs 15,000 as shagun for the marriage of one of their daughters.
Showing a document, Balwinder alleged: "Data collected by us show that that in only a single village of Attari constituency, Rs 6 lakh have been embezzled in the running of the shagun scheme.
We had taken up the matter with the administration and provided details of how Rs 15,000 was given to 40 people by passing them off as residents of Guruwali village. However, none of the 40 persons were residents of the village. The panchayat has also admitted it."
He claimed that the case was brought to the notice of the deputy commissioner Rajat Aggarwal last year, but no action had been taken till date. He alleged that a detailed probe could reveal even more graft in the administration of the shagun scheme.