Chandigarh: With first ever BJP government in Haryana's 49-year-old history set to complete one year in office next week, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Tuesday said his regime had "inherited" multiple problems from the previous Congress regime.
The CM also said that the present dispensation has delivered what was "promised" and a foundation had been laid to take Haryana ahead.
"What we promised, we are delivering," 61-year-old Khattar said while addressing a press conference here on the occasion of completing one year in office of the BJP government on October 26.
The government, which has launched a multi-media campaign to mark the occasion with catchline 'Ek Varsh, Sarvatra Harsh' (One year, happiness all around), gave a detailed account of the works undertaken by it during the past one year.
Khattar said they made effort to provide a clean, transparent and corruption-free administration.
Enlisting various steps, he said the government strives to provide "better law and order situation, steps taken for the benefit of farmers, providing affordable and quality healthcare, ensuring equitable development, industrial development and raising standard of education.."
He alleged that the previous government was "insensitive" to the people's problems.
Khattar said that his government had inherited multiple problems from the previous Congress regime, including poor fiscal health and whopping Rs 28,000 crore losses, suffered by the power distribution companies in the state, the SEZ issue, non-holding meetings of various Committees including SC Welfare Committee and even the President's police awards announced in 2009 not being distributed on time.
Besides, complaints of favoritism in jobs, alleged irregularities in various recruitments, including JBT teachers, issue of compensation to farmers, Kundli-Manesar- Palwal expressway were also among the problems which the present regime "inherited" which had consumed much time of the incumbent to set things in order, he said.
"It has taken us maximum time to set right the maladies and mess created by the previous government," he said.
Asked about his experience of running the government, Khattar said, "When I became the CM, my experience was zero then. Now if anyone asks me, I will say I have one year experience (said in lighter vein)... I know everything and how to solve which problem, I know it very well."
Commenting on the role played by the opposition parties during past one year, he said, "They are playing the role of opposition, which they should play. Now, sometimes one opposition says the other is with the BJP and vice versa, we say if both support our party, it will be better."
Replying to a question, Khattar said, "In the coming years, we will progress according to geometrical progression, not arithmetical progression."
On the Centre's flagship 'Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao' campaign, he said, "It is more a social issue, not a political issue, we also need support from other states to effectively implement the PNDT Act."
Asked that former Chief Minister B S Hooda has said that Haryana was 'No 1' during the time of previous Congress regime and had fallen way behind now, Khattar said, "it is for the people to assess our performance".
He said the BJP government is working to completely root out corruption at all levels of the administration in the state.
The days of "commission mode" have gone and the state government is working in "mission mode" at all fronts, he said taking a dig at the previous regime.
Asked to comment on the implementation of Swaminathan Commission report, the Chief Minister said that, he has written a letter to the Central Government for implementation of Swaminathan's panel recommendations in a phased manner.
He pointed out that a Working group of Chief Ministers on agriculture production was also constituted under the Chairmanship of former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, "but the previous Central Government failed to implement most of recommendations submitted by the Group."
On being asked to comment on the call made by the leaders of an Opposition party in the State asking the people not to pay their power bills in view of the increasing power tariff, the Chief Minister said that the power tariff were fixed by Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission and not by the State government.
He said that after the state government raised its objection before the Commission, the HERC has revised the power tariff.
Khattar said that work of Kundli-Manesar-Palwal Expressway, which was pending for the last 10 to 12 years, have been taken up by the present government and the same would now be competed in 30 months.
