Hapless Financial Management

THE new government in Tripura has run into a deep financial crisis just within four months of assuming office. This was evident from an order dated June 29. The order signed by the principal secretary, department of finance, government of Tripura, has instructed all the DDOs of different government departments that they should deposit the interests earned on the money of different schemes to the government treasury unless the scheme guidelines required the amount of interest to be spent for the same purpose. The order further said that all principal secretaries, secretaries and special secretaries should ensure that the DDOs under their control do not accumulate interests in their book of account. All interests earned on any scheme shall be deposited into the treasury immediately.    

The order speaks clearly of a very serious condition the state treasury is facing. Never in the financial history of the state was such an order issued.  The first budget of the government was termed as a zero deficit, pro-development budget. The very concept of a zero deficit budget as we had discussed in one of the earlier issues is based on cutting down expenses on development and accumulating resources by increasing burden on the people. While the budget has increased taxes and levies on petroleum products, it cut down the capital account expenditure. This means a cut in the funds for long term development goals. Another order by the chief engineer, PWD instructed that no new work shall be taken up by the department in the current financial year under PMGSY (pradhan mantri gram sadak yojna) since there is practically no fund available under the PMGSY head in the budget and now the government wants to accumulate money by mopping up the interests earned by other department. The serious condition of the state treasury is no doubt a matter of great concern. This also raises valid questions about how this government fulfills its lofty pre election promise.  The expenses for personal luxuries are however are not scaled down. Crores of rupees have been spent on decorating and furnishing the bungalows of the chief minister and his cabinet colleagues. 

Trampling of Democracy Continues

Murder of democracy continues unabated in Tripura.  The basic, fundamental right of dissenting and voicing opposition is mo more allowed.  On July 24, all India protest day against butchering of

democracy was observed in Tripura as well. In all the places, the participants attended the programmes defying on one hand, terror and intimidation from the ruling party miscreants and incessant rain in some places, on the other. Police permission was sought for holding this programme well in advance. But everywhere, the police denied permission on the plea this would create law and order problem. 

In Udaipur town, Gomati district headquarters, the protest march led by CPI(M) Central Committee member Badal Choudhury and state secretariat member Ratan Bhowmik was attacked by 25-30 BJP miscreants. The miscreants openly hurled brick-bats on the processionists and attacked them with lathis etc, causing injuries to 12 comrades including subdivision committee secretary Manik Biswas, veteran journalist and chairman of Udaipur municipal council Subrata Deb. Four-five of them are reported to have received grievous injuries. This of course was not an isolated incident. On the same morning, a few BJP miscreants attacked Atanu Datta, Khowai subdivision correspondent of Daily Desher Katha. They manhandled and abused him for sending reports against the government and the BJP. They threatened to chop him off into parts if he continued to send negative news against the government and the ruling party.

Just two days ago, Joylal Das, secretary of BJYM had asked his party members to attack CPI(M) workers, break their bones so that CPI(M) can never turn around. He went on to say, the Lok Sabha, three tier panchayat, village committee elections and the by-election to the panchayats are round the corner. No candidate of the CPI(M) or any party other than the BJP should be allowed to file nomination. Democracy a la BJP is now in full form in Tripura. 

Modi Unsettled by a Simple Tribal Lady

THE jumla of Modi and his ‘Mann Ki Baat’ fell apart in front of a gullible tribal woman. On July 19, PM Modi addressed and interacted with beneficiaries of the Soubhagyam scheme from different parts of the country via video conference.  The programme was aimed at popularising this scheme of the Modi government and projecting the PM as the vikas purush. The scheme launched by Modi aims at providing electricity to every household. The script was so written that people of far-flung areas (presumably without electricity) shall be called to the DM office and the PM shall ask them if their locality had electricity. The answer will be negative and Modi will assure them that with this Soubhagyam scheme, his government is going to brighten up their lives. The programme was telecast live on Doordarshan.  But to his utter dismay, Sidhanbati Reang of Siddhaparra, Ganganagar RD block, Dhalai district of Tripura told him that electricity has reached her village way back in 2016. She told him emphatically that in 2016 itself her village was electrified and in 2017 electricity had reached all the houses of Siddhaparra.  The PM was so unsettled at the answer by this simple tribal woman who gave him no chance to deliver his jumlas, that he quickly moved on to the beneficiaries from Assam, looking for a greener pasture.