Modi out to woo the world, back home union minister claims financial condition is very bad

JALANDHAR: When Prime Minister Narendra Modi is projecting India as an investment destination and a strong country during his much hyped visit to USA, back home minister of state for food processing Harsimrat Kaur Badal has claimed that financial condition of the union government was very bad which was a legacy of the Dr Manmohan Singh led UPA government.
Harsimrat, who was here to attend a function at National Institute of Technology (NIT) on Tuesday, said that UPA government created a financial mess and was neck deep in scams which led to severe shortage of funds. “The outgoing government was taking loans to run the country. The NDA government has managed to check the inflation and growth rate is also being given a push upwards,” she remarked while responding to a query from the media.
“First the centre government would set its own financial state in order and in the coming days things would be in improving for all,” she quipped when asked if this was reason that Punjab was not given a financial package by the union government.
To drive home the point further of financial mess at the centre government she cited example of her own ministry. “In my ministry subsidies were not released for the last ten years. For the next a year and a half I shall be releasing the pending subsidies and would then be able to consider the new projects,” Harsimrat said. She said that as financial situation of Punjab was also not good she expected that this would also improve after the union government has started doling out funds.
When asked what was the biggest gift for Punjab in first 100 days of the Modi government, Harsimrat said that no other state had got any special financial assistance from the union government.
Notably union finance minister Arun Jaitly had earlier reportedly denied to give special financial package and had rather advised the state government to streamline its subsidies. However Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal had claimed that centre had not denied the financial package.