Development will not suffer: FM

He charged that due to misgovernance of the previous Congress regime, revenue collection in the state witnessed a huge drop which in 1995-96 was six per cent and was 3 per cent during 1996-97. He added that revenue collection was expected to increase as the SAD-BJP government was taking several measures in this regard.

Another factor for the current economic situation was the implementation of the state pay commission report which led to a 40 per cent increase in the wages of the state government employees, that cost the state exchequer about Rs 900 crore in one year, he said.

He said that exchange of finances between the Centre to the state government was a common practice, while adding that the Punjab Government had always made timely payments to the Centre.

Kanwaljit Singh on the occasion revealed that the work on the second phase of the Kandi Canal from Garhshankar to Balachaur for providing irrigation facilities to the area would be started next year with aid from the World Bank.

The Ranjit Singh Dam would be inaugurated on February 12 next year and it would start generating power in September 1999 he said, adding that the thermal plant at Lehra Mohabbat too would start functioning next year. All this would lead to an end to shortage of electricity in the state, the finance minister said. Kanwaljit Singh further announced a grant of Rs 25 lakh for development works in Balachaur. Nand Lal, MLA, Balachaur, Darshan Lal, block Samiti member, Jaspal Singh Jaddli, youth Akali leader and Pritam Singh Johal, SDM, Balachaur, were among others who were present on the occasion, said an official release today.