Rs 590-cr fraud, HPSC–HSSC row rock Haryana House; Congress walks out

Chandigarh: The second day of the budget session in Haryana Vidhan Sabha on Tuesday witnessed stormy scenes as the opposition raised the alleged Rs 590-crore bank fraud involving IDFC First Bank and AU Small Finance Bank, alongside a demand for an adjournment motion to discuss purported irregularities in the Haryana Public Service Commission (HPSC) and the Haryana Staff Selection Commission (HSSC). The twin issues triggered heated exchanges, a ruckus during Zero Hour and a walkout by Congress MLAs after Speaker Harvinder Kalyan rejected the adjournment plea, saying it did not meet procedural requirements.
Leader of opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda and other MLAs sought a reply from the govt, particularly the chief minister, on the alleged Rs 590-crore bank fraud. Opposition members, including Ashok Kumar Arora, B B Batra and former Speaker R S Kadian, demanded details of the officials who permitted the diversion of funds to private banks and the grounds on which it was justified.A war of words also broke out between ministers Mahipal Dhanda and Krishan Bedi and Congress MLAs. High drama marked the discussion on the governor's address, with Congress MLA Ashok Arora accusing the govt of concealing scams, including the alleged Rs 5,000-crore paddy scam, the death of a sportsperson in Rohtak, the deaths of policemen at the Surajkund fair, and other incidents cited in the address.Further high drama unfolded in the House when BJP MLA from the Safidon Assembly constituency, Ram Kumar Gautam, made remarks about Mahatma Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. He also took jibes at Congress leaders and, in a lighter vein, targeted Bhupinder Singh Hooda during his speech on the governor's address, which had been initiated by MLA Ghanshyam Dass from Yamunanagar.Known for his plain speaking, Gautam even aimed criticism at CM Nayab Singh Saini over law and order issues, while reserving special praise for former director general of police (DGP) O P Singh.From the question hour:Social justice and empowerment minister Krishan Kumar Bedi said hospitals in cities that were allotted land by the govt at concessional rates are required to provide free services to 20 per cent of their total outdoor (OPD) patients on a ‘first come, first served' basis. The minister was responding to a question raised by Congress MLA Aftab Ahmed during the session. Bedi said hospital sites were allotted at concessional rates under the guidelines of the Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) policy to ensure free treatment for poor patients.Responding to a question raised by Congress MLA from Kalayat, Vikas Saharan, Bedi said the govt is closely monitoring the situation of drug abuse in the state and is taking all necessary measures to curb such activities. Bedi apprised the House that in the Kalayat assembly constituency, the number of cases registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act over 2023, 2024 and 2025 were 15, 14 and 16, respectively. He further shared that a total of 85 arrests were made in connection with drug trafficking.ALS in Haryana:Haryana health minister Arti Singh Rao said digital X-ray, advanced life aupport (ALS) ambulance, and MRI scan services would soon be made available at the District Civil Hospital in Sonipat. A proposal to establish a Cardiac Catheterisation Lab (Cath Lab) in Sonipat district is also under consideration.Colonies regularisation:Urban Local Bodies Minister Vipul Goel said buildings in 22 colonies under the Jagadhri municipal council were regularised under Section 203-A of the Haryana Municipal Act, 1973. He noted that on the GIS portal, buildings were reflected in place of colonies. Despite this, the govt approved 858 colonies and ensured the provision of basic amenities.However, he pointed out that in most municipalities, final layout plans pertaining to these notifications — including total area, relevant khasra numbers and clearly demarcated boundaries — were unavailable. In several cases, the notifications mentioned only the regularisation of buildings, leaving the legal status of vacant plots within those layouts unclear.Sports minister justifies cash awards, scholarships:Minister of state for sports Gaurav Gautam said all pending cash rewards up to Dec 31, 2022, for eligible Haryana athletes who participated in national and international competitions were fully disbursed. Cash rewards for medal winners of the Olympic Games, Paralympic Games and National Games for the years 2023, 2024 and 2025 were also distributed timely. The remaining cash rewards for 2023, 2024 and 2025 would be released to eligible athletes shortly, he said.While responding to a question raised by Congress MLA Aditya Surjwala regarding coaches' awards, the minister said of total 52 applications received, 31 eligible coaches had been granted awards amounting to Rs 3.56 crore. MSID:: 128718007 413 |