National News
Haryana in debt trap of over Rs 2.29 lakh crore

Every child born in Haryana is saddled with a debt of Rs 1 lakh. This is true with the estimated total debt on the state increasing to over Rs 2.29 lakh crore.
The main opposition Congress, which was at the helm for a decade till 2014, has been blaming the BJP-JJP government for pushing the state into debt and taking it towards bankruptcy.
As per official figures, the state’s debt was Rs 70,931 crore in 2014-15 when the BJP assumed power in the state for the first time.
In the current fiscal, it is expected to touch a whopping Rs 229,976 crore by the end of this fiscal.
As per budget estimates of 2021-22, the debt to GSDP ratio is estimated at 23.27 per cent in 2020-21, while it was 16.23 per cent in 2014-15. For the next fiscal, it is estimated at 25.92 per cent.
Leader of Opposition and two-time Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda told IANS that the BJP-JJP government is taking the state towards bankruptcy.
“That is why the debt figures were not clearly stated in the last budget speech. As per our estimations, the total debt has increased to Rs 2.25 lakh crore by March 2021,” he said.
Opposing the steep hike in development charges in areas falling under the civic bodies, Hooda said the Congress would question the government on issues of corruption, debt and unemployment in the upcoming Budget session of the Assembly.
He said the state had a debt of about Rs 70,000 crore when the BJP took over the reins of the state after the 2014 Assembly elections. Before handing over the helm several projects of national importance were commissioned by the Congress government.
“In the past seven years, the debt has increased to Rs 2.5 lakh crore,” said Hooda, adding no major project was established. “Where have these thousands of crores gone?”
According to Hooda, under the Congress government Haryana had become number one in per capita income, investment and generating employment.
“The neglect of 52,000 anganwadi workers is a living example of the negative thinking of the BJP-JJP government towards the daughters. Women workers say the government is not implementing the announcement made by the Prime Minister on September 10, 2018, to increase the honorarium of workers by Rs 1,500 and for helpers by Rs 750,” he said.
A revenue surplus state till 2008-09, Haryana has consistently been in deficit after that. In 2016-17, the debt burden was Rs 124,935 crore.
In 2017-18, the interest payments were pegged at Rs 11,257 crore — up from Rs 9,616 crore in 2016-17. In 2015-16, it was Rs 8,284 crore.
CRISIL’s last year study of the top 18 states, including Haryana and Punjab, says the aggregate indebtedness of states, measured by debt to gross state domestic product (GSDP), is expected to remain elevated at 33 per cent this fiscal, despite the post-pandemic recovery bolstering the shrinking revenue graph.
The ratio had risen to a decadal high of 34 per cent last fiscal. Sticky and elevated revenue expenditure and the need for higher capital outlay will keep borrowings up this fiscal, it adds.
For the rising financial debt, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, who also holds the finance portfolio, is blaming the Congress government for leaving behind a debt liability of Rs 98,000 crore.
“In 2014, when the BJP assumed power the state had a debt of Rs 98,000 crore, while the Opposition used to claim it to be Rs 61,000 crore,” he told the media on February 23.
Also he defends by saying the loan liability is increasing because the capital expenditure (money spent on creating assets) is also increasing.
“When the BJP came to power in 2014-15, a debt of Rs 27,860 crore of power distribution companies was included in the government’s debt under the Ujjwal Discom Assurance Yojana. For this reason, the total debt has increased. When the Congress tenure ended, the debt liability was Rs 70,900 crore. If the loan amount of Rs 27,860 crore taken by power discoms is added, the total debt is Rs 98,000 crore,” Khattar said.
He said revenue collection had dipped during the coronavirus period and an additional expenditure of Rs 1,500 crore was incurred.
Blaming the BJP-JJP government for the monstrous cycle of a huge debt, Congress general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala said, “The BJP-led government has increased the state’s debt from Rs 68,000 crore to Rs 2 lakh crore in seven years of its rule.”
Officials said the outstanding debt by the end of Khattar’s maiden term from 2014 to 2019 was Rs 185,463 crore.
While presenting the budget in March 2021, Khattar said the debt liability of the state is likely to go up to Rs 229,976 crore as on March 2022 from Rs 199,823 crore as on March 2021, constituting 25.92 per cent of the gross state domestic product (GSDP).
National News
Congress MP Imran Masood calls for banning liquor during Navratri

Saharanpur, March 29: Congress lawmaker Imran Masood said on Saturday that not just meat shops, liquor establishments should be shut during the nine-day festival of Navratri and called for embracing and promoting the spirit of brotherhood and communal harmony.
“Everybody is demanding a ban on meat shops during Navratri. Why is no one asking for a ban on liquor shops? Why is there no outpouring on the free flow of liquor during Navratri? Will this not spoil the purity and sanctity of the festival?” Saharanpur MP said in a special interaction with media.
The Congress Parliamentarian said that peaceful celebration supersedes everything, and it is incumbent upon all communities to maintain decorum during festivities and also make certain sacrifices, be it Eid or Navratri.
Notably, Eid-ul-Fitr and Navratri are coinciding on the same day this year. Both festivals are set to fall on Monday, with little possibility of change in the Eid schedule on account of moon sighting.
Days ago, the Congress MP also extended support to the demands of a meat ban during Navratri celebrations. In an apparent message to the Muslim community, he said that nothing would change if one did not eat meat for ten days.
“What matters above everything is the peaceful co-existence of communities. At no point in time, the differences over food preferences lead to communal strife,” Masood told newspersons.
Congress MP, when asked questions on the party’s strategy for the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, said that the Opposition is fully prepared to take on the Centre on “partisan legislation”.
“We opposed the amendments in the JPC meeting, tooth and nail. We will strongly voice our dissent in Parliament too,” he said.
Notably, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Friday that the Waqf Bill will not be delayed any further and will be reintroduced in the ongoing session of Parliament.
Only four working days of the Budget Session are left, as it concludes on April 4.
National News
‘PM Narendra Modi Relies On Crutches Of Nitish Kumar And Chandrababu Naidu To Pass Waqf Bill”: AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi

Hyderabad: All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi spoke on the Waqf Amendment Bill 2024 and said that the BJP does not have a majority in the Lok Sabha, and if Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Kumar oppose it, it won’t be passed.
While speaking to media, Asaduddin Owaisi said that PM Narendra Modi is relying on the crutches of Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Kumar. He stated that Union Home Minister Amit Shah is spreading lies in the country regarding the Waqf Bill.
“Amit Shah is the Home Minister of the Government of India and his statement is proof of the fact that you trying to make an unconstitutional law which can be challenged in the court. This is a violation of the articles of the Constitution and the Waqf of the entire country will suffer because of it. You are removing the section of the Waqf property, who will benefit from it. You are omitting the revenue of lakhs of rupees. Amit Shah is lying to the country that you can challenge the Waqf Tribunal in the court. Prime Minister Narendra Modi relies on the crutches of Nitish Kumar and Chandrababu Naidu and if they do not support this unconstitutional bill, then this law will not be made”, Asaduddin Owaisi said.
Earlier on Friday, Owaisi supported the ‘black band’ protest against the Waqf (Amendment) Bill. Owaisi, who is also part of the JPC on the Waqf bill, joined in the symbolic protest on Friday by wearing a black armband as he offered prayers.
Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Friday that Waqf Amendment Bill, on which JPC has given its report, will be tabled in the Budget session of Parliament. The Budget session is slated to conclude on April 4.
“Nobody needs to get afraid of the Waqf Bill. In 2013, the Congress-led government passed the Waqf Bill and made several provisions that are not aligned with our Constitution. We are now trying to align the bill with constitutional principles,” he said.
Asked about Asaduddin Owaisi’s black arm band protest, Amit Shah said people have a right to do so. “Some do it through their clothes, some through their words. In Parliament, one opposes through logic,” he said.
Crime
Accused in Saif Ali Khan stabbing case files bail plea, claims innocence

Mumbai, March 29: Mohammad Shariful Islam Shahzad, the accused in the stabbing of Bollywood superstar Saif Ali Khan, has filed a bail petition in the Mumbai Sessions Court, asserting that he is innocent and the case against him is fabricated.
The attack took place in the early hours of January 16 when the accused allegedly entered Saif’s Bandra residence through his youngest son Jeh’s room.
The actor, who was reportedly trying to fend off the assailant, suffered multiple stab wounds. Despite his injuries, Saif managed to go to the hospital on his own, accompanied by his son Taimur.
Shariful Islam Shahzad’s petition, filed through his lawyer, claims that the FIR was wrongly registered and that he has fully cooperated with the police investigation.
His legal team argues that since all evidence is already in police custody, there is no risk of tampering, and therefore, he should be granted bail.
Currently, the case is being handled by the Bandra Magistrate Court, but it falls under the jurisdiction of the Mumbai Sessions Court. Once the police file a charge sheet, the case will be transferred to the Sessions Court. However, the charge sheet is yet to be filed.
According to media reports, doctors removed a 2.5-inch knife from Saif’s wound. The actor sustained six stab injuries, two of which were serious as they were near his spine.
The incident reportedly occurred around 2:15 am on January 16 when the accused broke into the house, attacked the house help, and then stabbed Saif when he intervened.
Saif was alerted by noises from Jeh’s room, where he found the accused in an altercation with the house help. Attempting to protect the staff, Saif fought off the intruder with his bare hands before being stabbed multiple times.
Investigations have revealed that the accused, a Bangladeshi national, intended to rob a wealthy individual to finance his mother’s medical treatment in his home country. He has a history of petty theft and was previously dismissed from restaurants in Worli and Thane for stealing.
It is also reported that the attacker was unaware of Saif Ali Khan’s celebrity status and targeted the residence purely because it was located in an upscale apartment complex.
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