New Delhi, Mar 27 (PTI) Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Friday said a loan amount of Rs 47,000 crore borrowed by the previous AAP regime was passed on to her government, which is trying to repay it.
Speaking on a motion of thanks over the budget presented by her in the Assembly on Tuesday last, Gupta slammed the Opposition AAP while highlighting various initiatives and programmes of her government.
The annual budget 2026-27, worth Rs 1.03 lakh crore, was tabled in the Assembly on Tuesday and was passed by the House with a voice vote. Opposition AAP MLAs were absent from the House due to the boycott of the budget session by the party.
Reacting to AAP leaders’ criticism of her government for market borrowing, the chief minister asserted that her government has taken the cheapest available loan at an interest rate of 7.4 per cent.
She said that the Delhi government started taking loans in 1999 with Rs 1,164 crore borrowed at an interest rate of 10.5 per cent. Not a single year passed that the previous AAP government did not take loans at high rates, which have now been passed on to her government, she claimed.
“In 2019-20, they took a loan of Rs 450 crore at around 9 per cent interest rate. In 2020-21, they took a loan of Rs 9,500 crore, in 2021-22, the loan was Rs 5,000 crore; Rs 3,200 crore in 2022-23. During their tenure, the loan increased to more than Rs 47,000 crore,” she told the House.
She also listed a long list of pending financial liabilities of her government, left behind by the previous government.
The pending liabilities include Rs 3,700 crore for a contribution from Delhi for the development of expressways. The previous government did not contribute even Rs 1 crore for this, she said.
The pending financial liabilities that have fallen on her government include the contribution of Delhi for the Metro rail. The BJP government has paid Rs 2,700 crore of the pending Rs 9,082 crore, she said.
She also listed the dues of contractors and other agencies related to the construction of hospitals and schools, which her government is now paying. The pending dues related to health infrastructure stood at Rs 2000 crore while those related to education were more than Rs 1000 crore, she said.
“I feel ashamed thinking about what kind of government it was. Money meant for children’s sports activities, and awards were not paid, while Rs 18 crore for the welfare of the economically weaker section was also not released,” the chief minister cited.
The Delhi government has paid Rs 1,750 crore in scholarships and Rs 14.5 crore of pending award money. Pending dues of the Kishori scheme totalling 12 crore have also been paid by us, she said “They were like TB (tuberculosis) for Delhi, clinging to the lungs of the city. Despite hard work and efforts, the stain does not go away. Every day, a new file opens, showing new scams and corruption,” Gupta charged.
She also said that due to years of mismanagement, the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) and Delhi Jal Board (DJB) were in losses of Rs 99,000 crore and Rs 91,000 crore, respectively.
She asserted her government is committed to clearing the mess and ensuring that every single rupee of public money is accounted for and every project is completed within the given time period.
She said that the budget tabled by her government has the highest capital expenditure allocation, and asserted her government is focused on development instead of freebies.
The chief minister said every sector — education, health, infrastructure, water — is a priority of her government as Delhi has long been deprived of these facilities.
“We are working with the Centre’s help on various projects”, said the chief minister and added Rs 5,000 crore will be spent on an elevated road along the Munak canal.
Two new Metro corridors were inaugurated this year, three more will be completed, and further expansion under Phases IV and V will make Delhi the largest Metro network in the country, she added.
Gupta also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the excise duty cut on petrol and diesel. Delhi government is handling the situation created due to the West Asia war, which has obstructed LPG supply, in association with the Centre, she said. PTI VIT HIG
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