Rs 20 lakh loans for ministers’ vehicles?

Opposition parties in Andhra Pradesh are fuming at the YCP government for following double standards with regard to observing rules.

The state government is already running on over draft and is not able to pay the salaries to employees or give pensions to pensioners regularly. However, it has reportedly issued GOs releasing Rs 20 lakh each to ministers for buying new vehicles. This apart, another Rs 55 lakh expenditure was incurred on renovating and painting the chambers of ministers, advisors and other higher officials in the Secretariat to make them vastu compliant. It was learnt that some ministers had sent letters asking for new furniture in their chambers.

On one hand, the energy department chief urged the public to be thrifty in use of electricity during peak hours in the wake of power crisis and on the other hand, the government does not follow the same principle when it came to expenditure even when the state is running deep into debts, pointed out the opposition leaders.

The public was urged not to use air-conditioners between 6 pm and 10 pm to ease the power crunch but the government is not following the same rule when it came to expenditure of the ministers and advisors, they said.

Last month, the government issued GOs releasing Rs 20 lakh loans to two ministers and TDP MLC Ashok Babu secured copies of the orders through RTI.

The opposition leaders questioned the YCP leaders on why was money being wasted over petty issues even when the state is neck deep in debts.

The central government has also taken cognizance of the financial crisis in the state and asked the principal audit general to send information on the loans being taken above the FRBM limits, apart from other loans drawn in the name of various corporations. The state government was asked to furnish information about loans taken through Nabard, RBI and others beyond the FRBM limits.

The state government had not paid pensions to the retired professors of various state universities and also to others in other departments.