Maha govt to publish detailed report on state's finances

BJP government in Maharashtra has proposed to bring out a detailed report on the financial situation of the state, mainly on the soaring debt, State Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar said here today.
"We are trying to find out if there were any irregularities committed by the previous government in the matters of finance. We are also in the process of finding out if the last government took loans without proper reason and if we are paying interest at high rates," Mungantiwar said.
"We are also trying to come out with ways to reduce the debt burden and to see how the money can be evenly allocated to various departments. We will come out with a white paper to address all these challenges," Mungantiwar told reporters.

"If there is any person, big or small, who has caused a loss to the state treasury, he will not be spared. Let the law take its own course. The finance minister has nothing to do with it. Law breakers cannot be spared," Mungantiwar, a five-term MLA from Ballarpur, said.
Reacting to the minister's statement, NCP welcomed the decision to publish a white paper, but also said that the minister should now leave behind opposition member's mentality.
"Every budget is cleared by the Legislative Assembly, passed on the floor of the house. Every MLA is given a copy of the budgetary provisions before a budget is passed. As Mungantiwar is a legislator for long, he should know that no individual has the right to spend a single penny without the approval of the assembly," said NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik.

"He should behave like a minister now and stop thinking of himself as an opposition member," Malik added.