Punjab Finance Minister Slams Previous Congress Government for Destroying Health Infrastructure, PRIs and ULBs Citing CAG Report
Tables in Punjab Assembly CAG Report on Performance Audit of Public Health Infrastructure and Management of Health Services During Congress Tenure of 2017-22
Also Tables Annual Technical Inspection Report on Panchayati Raj Institutions and Urban Local Bodies from April 2019 to March 2022
Healthcare in Punjab (2016-17 to 2021-22): A Staggering 50.69% Vacancy Rate: Sanctioned Health Posts Remain Unfilled
Inadequate Health Infrastructure (2016-17 to 2021-22): Insufficient Beds, Medicines, and Equipment Plague Public Health Facilities
Inadequate Spending on Health Sector (2016-17 to 2021-22): State Government's spending on health services found to be below target
Panchayati Raj Institutions (April 2019-22): Devolution of Powers and Functions- Only 13 out of 29 Functions Envisioned by the 73rd Amendment Act Devolved
Urban Local Bodies (April 2019-22): Staff Shortages and Pending User Charges- Issues Persist in Effective Governance and Service Delivery
Chandigarh, March 25, 2025:
Punjab Finance Minister Advocate Harpal Singh Cheema on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on the previous Congress-led state government for severely destroying the health infrastructure, and Panchayati Raj institutions and urban local bodies of the state, citing the Comptroller and Auditor General of India's (CAG) report on the management of public health infrastructure and health services for the period of Punjab Vidhan Sabha 2016-17 to 2021-22 and the annual technical inspection report on Panchayati Raj institutions and urban local bodies from April 2019 to March 2022. He tabled these reports in the Punjab Assemble today.
Talking to reporters here, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said that the Congress party is a party of the rich, hence it has never paid any attention to providing necessary public health services to the common people of the state. He said that similarly, the Congress party has always weakened the basic units of democracy, Panchayati Raj institutions and urban local bodies. He said that by not making the necessary recruitments in these institutions from 2017 to 2022, the Congress party not only affected the services of these institutions but also deprived thousands of youth of employment.
Key findings of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India's report on the Performance Audit of Public Health Infrastructure and Management of Health Services for the period 2016-17 to 2021-22, include a staggering 50.69% vacancy rate in sanctioned health posts, with Director Medical Education and Research facing a 59.19% shortage. The report also highlights inadequate availability of health institutions, insufficient beds, and a lack of essential medicines and equipment. Institutional births in public health facilities remained low, while private healthcare facilities flourished.
Furthermore, the report notes that many health services were unavailable due to staff and equipment shortages, and that infrastructure could not be fully utilized. The skewed distribution of manpower led to uneven patient loads per doctor, and population-to-doctor ratios varied significantly across districts.
The State Government's spending on health services was found to be below the target. Out of the allotted budget by the State Government, funds ranging from 6.5 per cent to 20.74 per cent were not utilised. The State Government could spend only 3.11 per cent of its total expenditure and 0.68 per cent of GSDP on health services during 2021-22, which was way below 8 per cent of the budget and 2.50 per cent of GSDP targeted under National Health Policy (NHP) 2017. Additionally, the report highlights delays in submitting State Programme Implementation Plans and significant amounts of unutilized government funds.
The Annual Technical Inspection Report on Panchayati Raj Institutions and Urban Local Bodies from April 2019 to March 2022, comprising two parts and four chapters, provides an in-depth analysis of the PRIs and ULBs in Punjab. Chapters I and II focus on Panchayati Raj Institutions, while Chapters III and IV deal with Urban Local Bodies.
In the rural sector, the report notes that only 13 out of 29 functions envisioned by the 73rd Amendment Act have been devolved to Panchayati Raj Institutions. Delays in transferring Central Finance Commission grants resulted in avoidable interest payments by the state government. Moreover, there was significant underutilization of funds received under various schemes, ranging from 5% to 94%. Staff shortages in PRIs increased from 29% in 2019-20 to 41% in 2021-22.
The report also highlights issues in urban local bodies, including a staff shortage ranging from 34% to 44%. Delays in transferring grants resulted in avoidable interest payments, and user charges worth Rs 510.56 crore remained pending for recovery. Additionally, 137 urban local bodies failed to contribute Rs 10.77 crore towards the Punjab State Cancer and Drug Addiction Treatment Infrastructure Fund.