Nitish takes on PM package, says it’s ‘mere repackaging’
27 Aug 2015 6:26 AM IST
“...At the best, the <g data-gr-id="18" style="color: #3b3b3b; font-size: 11px;">so called</g> Rs 1.25 lakh crore package will not provide anything more than Rs 10,368 crore as additional or incremental resource to the state. This too in the absence of a defined timeline or disbursement modalities hardly means anything to the state,” he said.
The CM added: “A close look reveals that against the <g data-gr-id="19">much hyped</g> claim of Rs 1.25 lakh crore, 87 <g data-gr-id="21">per cent</g> of the <g data-gr-id="20">so called</g> special package worth projects is nothing but a mere repackaging of old schemes, appropriation of pre-approved allocations for old ones and continued contributions to ongoing schemes which were announced by various ministries at different point of time in the past.”
Moreover, for a few of the new items totalling to the tune of about Rs 6,000 crore in the package, there is not even a shred of evidence of planning or work on <g data-gr-id="22">ground</g>, he said.
Trashing the package as nothing but “narrate a fairy tale to the people of Bihar,” Kumar said it was '<g data-gr-id="15">aakro</g> ka <g data-gr-id="16">mayajaal</g>' (illusion weaved on the basis of statistics).
Bihar package: Gadkari hits back
The war of words over the Bihar package escalated on Wednesday with Union Minister Nitin Gadkari challenging CM Nitish Kumar for a debate after he had called the Rs 1.25-lakh crore <g data-gr-id="41">sop</g> as a “repackaging” of old schemes for electoral gains. “It’s unfortunate that a leader of Kumar’s stature is speaking like this. His statements are born out of frustration,” he said.
Next Story
