Chandigarh, March 2 Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Monday targeted the BJP government in Haryana over the Rs 590-crore IDFC First Bank fraud case, claiming that it has "completely failed" in adopting new technology, which is why people's money is being "looted" in the neighboring state.
Cheema said that after the Aam Aadmi Party government assumed power in 2022, a modern e-Deposit Management System was implemented with the assistance of the National Informatics Centre (NIC), eliminating any possibility of fraud in the banking sector.
"The BJP has completely failed in adopting new technology, which is why people's money is being looted in Haryana," he alleged.
In a statement, Cheema said that no such mechanism was created in Haryana, which led to a fraud during the BJP government's tenure.
The BJP has "failed" to adopt new technology across the country, whereas the AAP government has consistently adopted the latest technologies, he said.
"Wherever there is a BJP government, frauds are continuously occurring and people's money is being looted through the banking sector," he alleged.
IDFC First Bank had earlier disclosed a Rs 590-crore fraud committed by certain employees and others at a particular branch in Chandigarh in a specific set of Haryana state government accounts.
Haryana's Anti-Corruption Bureau registered a case in the matter, and a Special Investigation Team was constituted under the overall supervision of senior IPS officer Ganga Ram Punia.
Punjab FM Cheema said that the state government has empanelled 21 banks.
"When bidding takes place among these 21 banks, the bank offering the highest interest rate receives the deposit from the concerned board, corporation, or institution. This ensures maximum interest income for the state treasury," he said.
Cheema further stated that from 2022 until now, approximately 100 to 150 bids are conducted every month by various institutions, corporations, boards, and departments of Punjab.
He said that the Punjab government has not left this system solely to the banking sector; instead, one senior officer from a bank and one senior officer from the Punjab government have been appointed to oversee it, ensuring that no fraud of any kind or at any level can occur.
