Cases Of Atrocities Against Scs Were Not Registered During Congress Regime: CM Khattar

Taking a dig at the Congress, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Tuesday said the cases of atrocities against the Scheduled Castes (SCs) were either not registered or if registered were suppressed during their regime.

The victims of such atrocities had to run from pillar to post to get their cases registered, Khattar said in the state assembly here. The chief minister said that strict directives were issued to the police stations after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in Haryana in 2014, ensuring every individual seeking to register an FIR is facilitated without any impediment.

Responding to a question raised by Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) MLA Abhay Singh Chautala regarding the corruption cases registered in various departments, boards and corporations, Khattar said whenever a complaint of corruption comes, the FIR is first registered and action is taken based on the investigation. The chief minister, who was responding to various issues raised by the members in the House, also said the MLAs, being elected representatives of the public, can gather information about development projects in their area from any officer.

Responding to a question raised by Congress MLA B B Batra, Khattar said the MLAs can visit any government office and obtain information about development projects in their area from any officer. As the Opposition often targets the BJP-led government over unemployment in the state, he informed the House that according to the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) report, the unemployment rate in Haryana during July-September was 5.2 per cent, while the national level figure stood at 6.6 per cent.

Khattar said that the unemployment rate in neighbouring states was "14.5 per cent in Himachal Pradesh, 8.8 per cent in Punjab and 12 per cent in Rajasthan" during the same period. The chief minister also said Haryana's poverty rate, as per the data of the NITI Aayog, was 11.88 per cent in 2015-16. "In 2014, when we came to power, dedicated efforts were made and because of this, this rate has come down to 7.07 per cent in 2019-21, which is a reduction of more than 4 per cent. As a result, 14,29,341 people in Haryana have risen above the poverty line," he added.

Khattar further said the announcement to build an international sports stadium in Khandra village in Panipat, the hometown of Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra, will soon be fulfilled. The chief minister said the sports stadium is to be constructed on an area of 15-acre in the village according to the villagers' wishes, but a case related to the said land is pending in the Revenue Court. Both parties have agreed to withdraw the case and the construction of the stadium will soon begin there, he added.