SHIMLA: Congress MLA Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu declared his income, assets, liabilities and sources of income before the media on Sunday. He is the first public representative from Himachal to make his financial status public after getting elected.
“Before contesting elections, we are required to declare our assets and liabilities. But many people raise a number of questions over our sources of income and our assets after we get elected,” said, the MLA.
He said he had submitted copy of his income, assets, liabilities and sources of income to the PCC chief and leader of Congress Legislative Party.
Asked whether he would demand that every MLA declare the assets and source of income, he said, “It depends upon the prudence of an MLA to declare his or her financial sources lifter winning the election.”
Sukhu, who is also the general secretary of Congress, had brought together young MLAs above party lines at one forum during his first tenure from 2003-2007 to share a common stage to discuss issues related to MLAs.
Sukhu said his total annual income was Rs 12.6 lakh. Annually, he gets Rs 10,000 as LIC commission, Rs 8lakh from rent and Rs 4.5 lakhs as salary from Vidhan Sabha.
As assets, Sukhu has a building at Knolswood in Chotta Shimla (Rs 70 lakh), a flat at Strawberry Hill in Chotta Shimla (Rs 15Iakh), a Housing Board plot at Mandhala in Baddi (Rs 20 lakh), ancestral and personal land at Nadaun (Rs 30 lakh), an Alto and a Scorpio (Rs 10 lakh) and fixed deposit and shares (Rs 12 lakh).
Sukhu also declared liabilities of Rs 62lakh, which include loans from different banks and unsecured loan of Rs 29 lakh from his elder brother.
SOURCE-HT
