Sitharaman agrees to resolve Punjab\'s Rs 31,000 crore food account debt issue

New Delhi: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday agreed to Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh's request for a joint meeting with her ministry to resolve Rs 31,000 crore food account debt legacy issue.

This comes a day after Union Food and Civil Supplies Minister Ram Vilas Paswan acceded to Singh's request for a joint meeting with Sitharaman.

Sitharaman told Singh that the meeting could be arranged after the Budget Session as the Centre was also keen to settle the issue once and for all.

According to an official statement, the Punjab Chief Minister informed Sitharaman that Paswan has already accepted his proposal for a joint meeting on the matter.

Singh also urged the Finance Minister to announce setting up another AIIMS in Punjab to strengthen the state's healthcare and medical education system.

He proposed setting up the second AIIMS either in Ludhiana or Jalandhar, dedicating the institution to Guru Nanak Dev ji on the sacred occasion of the first Sikh Guru's 550th Parkash Purb.

Sitharaman asked Singh to submit a formal proposal on the same and assured him of her consideration, said an official spokesperson after the meeting.

Later, the Chief Minister told media persons Home Minister Amit Shah had responded very positively on Thursday to his request to press Pakistan for the construction of a bridge over Ravi river to facilitate pilgrims passing through Kartarpur Corridor.

Asked if he had raised the issue of a special package for Punjab with Sitharaman, Singh said the matter was not discussed today but he had already written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking such a package for the border state.

Chief Minister Singh has been holding a series of meetings with newly appointed Central ministers since Thursday to discuss the issues of Punjab's concern.