Monetisation Pipeline Daylight Robbery: Chidambaram

Congress leader P Chidambaram on Friday hit out at Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman over the country’s asset monetisation pipeline scheme saying it is “scandalous” and “daylight robbery”.

“She’ll privatise it and get only Rs 1.5 lakh crore. Assume the current revenue is Rs 1.3 lakh crore, she’s only getting an additional Rs 20,000 crore. For the sake of Rs 20,000 crore, you’ll sell all that has been built over 70 years? This is scandalous. This is daylight robbery,” Chidambaram said while addressing the media in Mumbai.

The former Finance Minister said: “Assets are giving current revenue. Finance Minister says – I’ll get Rs 1.5 lakh crore. But she should also say what’s the current revenue. Suppose for the sake of argument, current revenue is Rs 1.6 lakh crore.”

“All that has been built over the last 70 years is being pawned off into the hands of a select few. People must be aware of this danger and protest against it,” Chidambaram further said.

Last month, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had launched the National Monetisation Pipeline that includes the Centre’s four-year plan to monetise its brownfield infrastructure assets. The government has planned a Rs 6 lakh crore pipeline of assets that can be monetised which includes a range of assets put on the block for private sector participation, over a four-year period, from Financial Year 2022 to Financial Year 2025. (ANI)