Shimla, Aug 20 (PTI) BJP leader Suresh Kashyap on Thursday slammed Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu for proposing to cut IAS and IFS officers, saying the government should instead remove his “friends” who have been given political posts.
Kashyap, the MP from Shimla, said the Himachal Pradesh government was trying to cut expenditure in the wrong place.
Earlier this week, Sukhu said a proposal to reduce the strength of IAS officers by 23 (from 153 to 130) and IFS officers by 35 (from 118 to 83) and an unspecified number of IPS officers is under consideration.
“Instead of reducing the cadre of IAS and IPS officers, the chief minister should reduce the cadre of his friends (in office). Officers have a crucial role in administration and the development of the state. The government should cut unnecessary political appointments and wasteful expenditure rather than weakening the administrative structure,” he told reporters.
Reducing the number of officers should not be projected as a major financial reform while avoidable political expenditure continues unchecked, he said.
“I want to tell the chief minister very clearly that BJP MPs do not require a certificate from him. All our Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs understand their responsibilities very well. We do not need instructions from the CM on how and where to raise issues concerning Himachal Pradesh,” said Kashyap, a former state BJP chief.
“More than three years have passed under this government. The chief minister should focus on managing the state’s economy, controlling debt and unnecessary expenditure, accelerating development and strengthening welfare schemes for the poor instead of lecturing BJP MPs about their responsibilities,” Kashyap said.
He said the Congress government repeatedly claims that Himachal Pradesh will become self-reliant by 2027 and one of the most developed states in the country by 2030, but at the same time it continues to blame the Centre for its financial difficulties.
“If the government genuinely wants to make Himachal self-reliant, it should increase the state’s own revenue, control unnecessary expenditure and reduce its dependence on borrowings,” he said.
Kashyap expressed concern over the pace at which the state government was raising fresh loans, saying that continuously taking “loan after loan” without creating adequate productive assets was a serious concern for Himachal Pradesh’s economic future. PTI BPL SKY SKY
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.