Uproar in Chhattisgarh assembly over use of 14th Finance Commission fund

Opposition accuses Baghel-led govt of misusing the money by constructing cowsheds all over the state

Opposition parties in Chhattisgarh grilled the Bhupesh Baghel government in the Legislative Assembly over the utilisation of the 14th Finance Commission fund.

Chaos ruled soon after the state’s agriculture minister Ravindra Choubey informed the House that the government had constructed “gothans (cattle sheds) using District Mineral Foundation (DMF) and 14th Finance Commission Funds. The Bhupesh Baghel government has embarked on an ambitious plan to construct cattle sheds all across the state.

Choubey said 5,084 “gothans” were sanctioned in the state, of which 1,771 had been constructed. The committee had decided to give Rs 10,000 each to the gothans. In some districts, gothans were constructed using DMF Fund, while in others, funds released by the 14th Finance Commission were used, he added.

Leader of Opposition, Dharamlal Kaushik of the BJP, took exception to the minister’s statement and said the state government did not have the power to use the funds released by the 14th Finance Commission to construct cattle sheds. “It is against the rules and provisions,” Kaushik asserted, adding that the state government was misusing the funds.

Janta Congress Chhattisgarh (JCC) also joined the main opposition party to raise objections against the alleged misuse of 14th Finance Commission Funds. JCC legislator Dharamjeet Singh accused the government of misleading the state about the “gothan” project.

While the members of the ruling party objected, pandemonium broke out in the House. Opposition members later boycotted the Question Hour and staged a walk-out.