SHILLONG, MAR 6: Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Wednesday said that the government is not taking loans to finance development in the State.

“We are not financing our development by taking loans,” he said, while slamming the opposition political parties for failing to listen to his reply to the budget discussion in the recently concluded budget session of the Assembly. The opposition have accused the state government of taking loans for implementing various developmental activities in the state.

“I don’t agree to it (allegation) at all. I have explained this in my budget speech, so I feel that they (opposition) should have sat and listened to my reply. When they raise the issue and they didn’t listen to my reply and then again now after I have replied they again raise this issue so I don’t know where to answer this question to them,” he said while adding that “even public after seeing the presentation I had given on that day understands that our overall expenditure that has gone up almost double has happened because of multiple reasons.”

He further highlighted, “Our share of central taxes has doubled from Rs 4000 crore to Rs 9000 crore in the last five years. Our own taxes have gone up from Rs 1700 crore in 2018 to almost Rs 4700 crore almost tripled in the last 5 years. Our share of centrally sponsored schemes, the money that we get has almost tripled if we take the average of all the schemes put together. Our EAPs overall the expenditure has gone up five times compared to what it was in the past and externally aided projects though it is world bank it is 72% subsidized by the Government of India. So we only pay 28% and that is also not a loan. We have to pay upfront 28 % and GoI subsidizes and pays 72%.”

“We have been able to make use of the special assistance on capital investment, which government is giving, which is 50 year long loan which is interest free and for that in the consolidated fund, we are putting money to pay back so that will not be a burden on us and we have been able to take more than four times of what the amount was allotted to us. I have been explaining this time and again in the Assembly how we have funded this,” he added.

Stating that loan component is always there, the chief minister however said, “It is not that loan component is not there but loan component is only to the tune of what the RBI and the government of India allows us. They will never allow us to take more loans than what we should take and there are caps on it and we have been maintaining those caps and therefore, it is not an issue at all. We are taking the amount as I said as what has been prescribed and allowed by the government.”

Further, the CM said had the opposition MLAs stayed back and listened to his reply on the last day of the budget session, they would not have been asking this question again and again.

“But I don’t know why they run away from such kinds of programmes when they ask questions, they are sitting there, we sit and listen and when our time comes to reply, they run away. I guess this is not a very responsible way of being a public representative and I urge let’s have healthy debates on the floor of the House. I was explaining to them, they could have easily asked me for this clarification on the day of the budget reply. I have given a detailed presentation along with facts and figures and charts and most people are now clear what’s happening but sadly they were not there I don’t know I can again reply if they wish to in another time with the same presentation,” he said.

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