Shimla: Leader of the opposition in the Himachal Pradesh assembly, Jai Ram Thakur, on Saturday accused the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led Congress govt of pushing the state into a financial crisis.Citing the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report tabled in the Himachal assembly, Thakur said the report exposed a wide gap between the govt’s claims of fiscal discipline and the state’s actual financial condition.He pointed out that the cash balance investment account, which had risen to Rs 3,645 crore during the previous BJP govt, declined sharply by Rs 2,187 crore in 2023-24 and by Rs 1,457 crore in 2024-25.According to Thakur, the state had less than the prescribed minimum cash balance on 162 days, or 44% of the year. The treasury reportedly went into overdraft 42 times in 12 months, while Rs 1,652 crore remained unpaid at year-end, resulting in an additional Rs 12 crore in interest, claimed the former CM.Thakur further said that the govt borrowed Rs 11,276 crore through 120 ways and means advances from the Reserve Bank of India. He also alleged that funds meant for development and centrally-sponsored schemes were being diverted to meet govt expenses.The BJP functionary questioned how Himachal could become self-reliant by 2027 and the country’s most prosperous state by 2032 under the current financial management.
