Team Herald
PANJIM: Former revenue minister and Independent MLA Rohan Khaunte on Friday demanded that Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant should present Action Taken Report (ATR) on the budget 2019-20, and the assurances made by his government on various issues during the Monsoon Session, last year, on the first day of upcoming State Legislative Assembly session.
Addressing media persons, Khaunte also demanded that the chief minister present a White Paper on the financial position of the State in the Assembly.
The five-day-long Budget Session is scheduled to begin from February 3 during which Sawant is expected to present the State Budget 2020-21.
Khaunte said that to assure that government is transparent, it is essential that the chief minister presents ATR on the Budget 2019-20 on the very first day of the session. He also demanded that CM should present ATR on the assurances given by him on the floor of the House during Monsoon Assembly Session, which was held in August, 2019.
He said that the people should know how many of the assurances given by Sawant in the Assembly have been fulfilled, and what percentage of Budget, presented by him, has become a reality.
“Former chief minister late Manohar Parrikar had set a precedent of tabling ATR on the Budget. He had also said that every year, the ATR would be presented before the people of the State,” he recalled.
Khaunte said that considering that the government is in a borrowing spree, the chief minister should also present a ‘White Paper’ on the financial condition of the State.
“If the chief minister is not in a position to table the documents, it means that this government has failed on all fronts,” he said and claimed that there is complete policy paralysis.
Responding to a question, he said that infighting in BJP, visionless and directionless government, weak leadership and financial crunch, are some of the issues responsible for policy paralysis.
Khaunte also expressed his displeasure over curtailing the days of Assembly session. He alleged that the Budget session is reduced to five-days, only because the Government has no answers to the questions of Opposition.
“There was no winter session; and the Budget session is curtailed to five days. This shows that the government has no answers,” he said adding “the Opposition will plan to ensure that the government is taken to task and held accountable.”
