HP fails to utalise over Rs 1600 cr central funds: Dhumal

Former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister P K Dhumal today accused the state government of "financial mismanagement", and claimed a CAG report showed that it has surrendered Rs 1648 crore central funds as it "failed" to utilise it.
"BJP had been alleging that the government had not been properly utilise the central funds and now the CAG has also pointed out that the government failed to utilise central funds amounting Rs 1648 crore andthese funds had to be surrendered," Dhumal said in a statement.
"The government has failed to check corruption, hampering the pace of development while lack of prudent financial management has put the state into debt trap with total debts standing over Rs 35,000 crore at the end of 2014-15," Dhumal said, adding that several schemes could have been completed and benefits percolated to the people had these funds been "properly spent and not lapsed".

Dhumal claimed the CAG report has pointed out that Public Undertakings are incurring huge losses as government had failed to recover Goods carried by Road tax amounting Rs 60-crore from Cement Companies, losses of Forest Corporation has increased from Rs 32 crore in 2010-11 to Rs 53 crore in 2014-15, Financial assistance of Rs 350 crore under Rashtriya Uchhatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA), could not be availed as the government could spend only 37 per cent of the sanctioned amount, he added.
Two dozen people lost their lives due to outbreakof jaundice in Shimla and surrounding areas due to negligence of Irrigation and public health (I and PH) department, Dhumal alleged and asked the government to come clean on the observations made by the CAG.