Making hay while the debt mounts

It's not just these three Jharkhand ministers who have been running up huge bills as the state exchequer reels under debt.

8226; Governor Syed Sibtey Razi got a modular kitchen at the Raj Bhawan equipped with appliances like microwave oven, toaster, griller, refrigerator, oven and an electric chimney at Raj Bhavan. All at a cost of Rs 15 lakh

8226; Human Resources Minister Bandhu Tirkey got his official residence furnished at a cost of Rs 7 lakh

8226; Rural Development Minister Enos Ekka went on a week-long trip to Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore with the state government footing his bills totaling Rs 8.17 lakh. This included Rs 1.08 lakh which he spent on recharging his cellphone

It8217;s not just these three Jharkhand ministers who have been running up huge bills as the state exchequer reels under debt. The state Buildings Department has spent more than Rs 10 crore on renovating and repairing nine other ministers8217; houses since they took charge in September last year.

Chief Minister Madhu Koda himself has spent more than Rs 10 lakh on upholstery and furniture at his official residence in less than seven months. This is in addition to Rs 4.75 crore which was spent on the bungalow after the Divisional Commissioner vacated it in 2001.

All this expenditure even as the state8217;s finances are not exactly in the pink of health. While the annual Budget for Rs 2007-08 sanctioned Rs 7,539.86 as Plan outlay, Rs 4,546 crore come as loans from financial institutions.

The 2004 amendment, downsizing ministries to one-tenth of the size of a House, was meant to cut down non-Plan expenditure. As a result, the strength of the Jharkhand Cabinet fell from 26 to 12 . This brought down the annual expenditure on their salaries and perks from Rs 3.74 crore in 2004-05 to Rs 2.92 crore in 2005-06.

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However, in 2006-07, the figure again went up, to Rs 3.29 crore. The Budget passed by the state Assembly on March 19 is an indication that the amount will rise to Rs 4.13 crore by March 31, 2008. The Jharkhand government, in fact, has spent nearly 55 per cent of the state8217;s total revenue receipts of Rs 11,612.07 crore on salaries, interest payments and pensions.

The Comptroller and Auditor General CAG, in its 2006 report, had also indicted the government for the rise in fiscal deficit by 153 per cent, from Rs 2,217 crore in 2004-05 to Rs 5,603 crore in 2005-06.

Neither Koda nor any of the six ministers The Indian Express talked to had taken any corrective measures to cut down costs.