Manpreet to talk to Cong, end sops

Punjab Finance Minister proposes to tackle increasing political competition on subsidies by initiating dialogue with Cong leaders in the state

In what may be termed as a radical move, Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal proposes to tackle an increasing political competitiveness to offer subsidies by initiating a dialogue with rival Congress leaders in the state.

Forty-four-year-old Badal, Punjab’s youngest Finance Minister ever, is of the view that huge subsidies offered by various governments in the state over the past few decades have seriously impacted the state’s economic growth and have been putting the state’s finances under strain. Punjab, which remained the fastest growing state of the country for a long time, has slid down as far as the GDP is concerned and its growth rate is now slower than that of several states, including Bihar, Jharkhand, Assam, Andhra Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.

The minister is, however, quick to add that whatever poll promises were made by the SAD-BJP combine during the run-up to the elections, would be kept and he was trying to find ways to make provisions for these in the budget to be presented next month. Since there was little time to prepare a full-fledged budget, the state government had sought vote-on-account and had deferred presentation of budget till next month. The SAD-BJP combine had promised subsidies worth Rs 4000 crore on power and atta-daal as part of its election manifesto.

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Badal, a nephew of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, is a law graduate from the UK. He jumped into the electoral fray after he was persuaded by the elder Badal to give up his job abroad. He now has the distinction of winning four Assembly elections in a row from the Kotkapura constituency and each time with an increased margin.

The first-time minister proposes to fix up an appointment with Leader of Opposition Rajinder Kaur Bhattal and other senior Congress leaders to evolve a consensus on limiting promises of providing subsidies on foodgrains, electricity and the like.

Saying that harsh measures were required to bring the state’s economy back on track, Badal pointed out that the Planning Commission had pegged the growth rate of the state at 5.9 per cent in the 11th Five-Year Plan and had predicted that Punjab would be one of the slowest growing states in the country.

“If we do not pull up our socks, we shall be never able to do it,” he says and adds that he is resolved to bring in far-reaching reforms if he gets cooperation from all sections.

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Meanwhile, Bhattal assured that all proposals towards the development of the state would receive a positive response from her and her party. “We would welcome Manpreet Badal’s proposals and shall cooperate in whatever way we can to bring Punjab back on the rails,” she added.