Situation in Jharkhand worse than Somalia: JPCC president

Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee (JPCC) today lashed out at the state government over the rate of development work in Jharkhand and said the situation prevailing in this mineral-rich state is 'worse than Somalia'.

The government has failed to deliver on all fronts, newly nominated JPCC President Ajoy Kumar alleged.

"The chief minister has grabbed the headlines over his decision to table an agriculture budget last year but the intentions of the government could be judged over the fact that only 13 per cent of the allocated funds was spent in the past seven months of the current fiscal," he said at a press meet today.
 

Similarly, the gender budget, introduced for the first time by the government in the last fiscal, drew blank, he said while referring to a CAG report that stated that the government did not spend a penny for the purpose in 2015-16.

The situation is no different when it comes to women's skill development and Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao (Save girl child and educate them) projects, he claimed.

"Even the per capita debt in the state has increased to Rs.17,183 in 2017 from Rs 2,318 in 2001. The situation prevailing in this state was worse than Somalia," Kumar, a former parliamentarian, said.

The crisis in Somalia is the result of prolonged drought, violence and insecurity. A UN study shows that more than six million people are in dire need of food and assistance in the country.

The chief minister has been claiming that the state holds second rank in the country on account of growth rate but the per capita income of the state shows that Jharkhand figures at the sixth position from the bottom, Kumar said.

Talking about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ambitious scheme "Ujjawala Yojana", the JPCC chief said the Jharkhand government could distribute only 9.41 lakh LPG connections against their target of 28.53 lakh.

As far as law and order is concerned, Kumar said, crime rate has only increased with reports of murder, loot and rape coming from every part of the state.

The JPCC president, accompanied by Zonal Coordinator Ashok Chowdhury and East Singhbhum District Congress Committee President Vijay Khan, said the chief minister has toured the state several times on a chopper but could not find an occasion to visit the government-run MGM Hospital here, where several children died of malnutrition early this year.