Jammu, Feb 10 (KNO): Stating that the outsourcing of government jobs is a social and economic disaster, Peoples Conference president Sajad Gani Lone on Tuesday questioned the government over its promise of providing 12 LPG cylinders to economically weaker sections (EWS).
Speaking in the Legislative Assembly, as per news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), Lone said that the political imprint is missing in the budget.
“When an elected government comes to power, the budget carries a political imprint. However, this budget is a typical bureaucratic budget without any political imprint,” Lone said.
Lone questioned the government’s announcement of providing six gas cylinders to each household, saying that it does not match its election manifesto.
He said the government had not only left out 14 lakh Below Poverty Line (BPL) families -now reclassified as priority households—but was also collecting the cost of gas cylinders indirectly by reducing the rebate on diesel.
“In your manifesto, you promised to provide 12 gas cylinders to each EWS household. We have two lakh AAY families. Apart from these families, we have 14 lakh BPL households, whom we now call priority households. As per an order issued in 2018, the nomenclature of BPL was changed to priority households,” he said.
Questioning the government over leaving out BPL families from what it terms a mega announcement, Sajad sarcastically remarked, “When did BPL families become economically stronger? They are still economically weak.”
He said the government would require Rs 1680 crore annually to fulfill its promise of 12 cylinders to each EWS household.
“The actual monetization of the promise over five years is Rs 8500 crore, but you will provide them only Rs 120-130 crore annually. In the next three years, you will provide them Rs 350–400 crore against a promise of Rs 8500 crore,” he said.
He added that the so-called mega announcement of free gas cylinders has come at the cost of the poor. “The rebate on diesel has been reduced. You will collect Rs 250 crore from the poor but pay them back Rs 120 crore, saving Rs 130 crore,” Lone said.
Sajad said the outsourcing of government jobs is a social and economic disaster.
“In response to my question, the government revealed that 24,000 jobs have been outsourced. You have not done this; this has been done by Babus,” he said.
Lone questioned the government for failing to end the practice of outsourcing jobs.
“Why do you go along with them? When you were against everything under Governor’s rule in the past five years, why are you doing the same now? Why are you not reversing and negating it now?” It will wreak havoc on the society,” he said—(KNO)