City
Epaper

Sahasrabuddhe demands white paper on Delhi's economy

By IANS | Updated: December 5, 2019 16:55 IST

The Public Policy Research Centre (PPRC), a think tank, has accused the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP government of "misleading" the people over its claim that fiscal deficit of Delhi has improved to a surplus of Rs 113 crore in 2017-18, terming it a "blatant misrepresentation of facts".

Open in App

In a statement, PPRC Director Vinay Sahasrabuddhe said: "The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report on state finances of Delhi government was tabled in the Delhi Assembly on Tuesday. And it was reported that the fiscal deficit of Delhi government has improved to a surplus of Rs 113 crore in 2017-18."

"The Delhi Chief Minister is misleading the people of Delhi exploiting even a statutory document by a constitutional body such as the CAG's report on state finances," he added.

Sahasrabuddhe, who is also a Rajya Sabha member, further cited the CAG report to claim Delhi government has been in profit for five years.

"This is a blatant misrepresentation of facts. The CAG report that the Chief Minister was referring to analyses the period from 2013-14 to 2017-18 whereas the Chief Minister conveniently disguises this fact and claiming that the report speaks of his own term from 2015 to 2020," he said.

Slamming the Delhi Chief Minister, the PPRC Director said that Kejriwal did not think twice about lying on the floor of the Assembly, making a "mockery of the most important institution in our democracy".

Highlighting the period of the CAG report, Sahasrabuddhe said PPRC has recently released a report on Delhi titled "Empty Vessels Make More Noise - A Report on Delhi's AAP Government".

"The reality behind the fiscal deficit figures of Delhi lies beyond the 2017-18 period that the current CAG audit report considered. From 2017-18, the fiscal deficit has risen astronomically from a Rs 113 crore surplus to Rs 689.16 crore deficit in the 2018-19 (Revised Estimates) and skyrocketing to Rs 5,901.90 crore (Budget Estimates)," he said.

Sahasrabuddhe said that Kejriwal failed to show the true figures to the public.

"This means from March 2018, where the CAG report ends, the Delhi government lost control on the fiscal deficit steadily and reached the current levels. When taken fiscal deficit per capita, this is 55 times rise from the 2017-18 levels, that too in less than two years," he said.

Sahasrabuddhe also demanded that Kejriwal government must release a white paper on the latest macroeconomic indicators of Delhi economy.

( With inputs from IANS )

Tags: delhiCAGVinay SahasrabuddhekejriwalDelhi Assembly
Open in App

Related Stories

MaharashtraRift Within NCP? DY CM Sunetra Pawar’s Solo Delhi Visit Sparks Political Buzz; Parth Pawar Calls Reports ‘Baseless’

NationalDelhi Government Orders Removal of 2.5 Lakh Chinese CCTV Cameras Over Security Concerns

NationalNitish Kumar Likely to Resign as Bihar Chief Minister After April 13; Rajya Sabha Oath Set for April 10

NationalDelhi Shocker: Man Lured Via Dating App, Robbed of Rs 7 Lakh, Accused Arrested

NationalDelhi Fire: 6 Injured After Blaze Erupted at House in Trinagar Grain Market

National Realted Stories

NationalMP building collapse: Three pulled alive as search continues for others feared buried; probe launched

NationalAfter 34 years, Rs 1,800 bribery allegation ends in relief: Delhi HC acquits engineers

NationalMan accused of raping, robbing Haryana woman arrested in UP's Mathura

NationalUnion Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan pays tribute to Babu Jagjivan Ram on his birth anniversary

NationalDelhi Police apprehend proclaimed offender wanted in multiple robbery, vehicle theft cases