Times of India: Jalandhar: Sunday, 4th Feb 2024.
A grant of Rs 25 crore given by Punjab govt for establishing Guru Ravidas Bani Adhiyan Centre at Ballan on March 25 last year, just ahead of Jalandhar parliamentary by-election, has remained unspent after 10 months, according to information procured under Right to Information (RTI) Act.
Punjab had also constituted a 10-member committee headed by Dera Sachkhand Ballan head Sant Niranjan Dass and comprising five senior officers of state govt.
“The grant of Rs 25 crore given by Punjab govt to Dera Sachkhand Ballan was to be released by authorities after getting proposals, but no proposals were received from the committee. It is for this reason that no amount has been released till date,” said the reply provided by deputy economical and statistical adviser, Jalandhar, in response to an RTI application by activist Parvinder Singh Kitna, who had sought details of the amount spent from the grant and what was remaining.
“The amount is lying in a bank account of this office and no sum of it has been spent. Whatever interest is earned, it is deposited in Punjab govt’s account,” it added.
A separate set of information received under RTI Act revealed that the committee for the Adhiyan Centre was established by the then Congress government on December 28, 2021, ahead of assembly elections, and it had 10 members with Dera Sachkhand Balan head Niranjan Dass as its chairman, other four members from the dera; from government side secretary of tourism department, secretary of welfare of SC, BC department, secretary, finance, director, tourism as member secretary and Jalandhar deputy commissioner.
A grant of Rs 25 crore given by Punjab govt for establishing Guru Ravidas Bani Adhiyan Centre at Ballan on March 25 last year, just ahead of Jalandhar parliamentary by-election, has remained unspent after 10 months, according to information procured under Right to Information (RTI) Act.
Punjab had also constituted a 10-member committee headed by Dera Sachkhand Ballan head Sant Niranjan Dass and comprising five senior officers of state govt.
“The grant of Rs 25 crore given by Punjab govt to Dera Sachkhand Ballan was to be released by authorities after getting proposals, but no proposals were received from the committee. It is for this reason that no amount has been released till date,” said the reply provided by deputy economical and statistical adviser, Jalandhar, in response to an RTI application by activist Parvinder Singh Kitna, who had sought details of the amount spent from the grant and what was remaining.
“The amount is lying in a bank account of this office and no sum of it has been spent. Whatever interest is earned, it is deposited in Punjab govt’s account,” it added.
A separate set of information received under RTI Act revealed that the committee for the Adhiyan Centre was established by the then Congress government on December 28, 2021, ahead of assembly elections, and it had 10 members with Dera Sachkhand Balan head Niranjan Dass as its chairman, other four members from the dera; from government side secretary of tourism department, secretary of welfare of SC, BC department, secretary, finance, director, tourism as member secretary and Jalandhar deputy commissioner.
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