All Haryana ministers, except one, became richer

All Haryana ministers, barring one, have registered a massive rise in their assets in the past five years. The information has been filed by them in their affidavits before the election commission for the forthcoming assembly elections.

Topping the list is transport minister Aftab Ahmed whose assets have risen by over tenfold, followed by excise and taxation minister Kiran Choudhary whose assets have grown by over sixfold.

First-time MLA Ahmed had shown assets worth Rs 33 lakh in his affidavit filed in 2009, while this time, he put his assets at Rs 3.35 crore. The massive rise in his wealth is largely due to the appreciation of his land. He had also bought 83 kanal land worth Rs 57 lakh (current value) in his wife’s name at Nuh and Doha villages in 2011 and 2012 besides buying an Innova, a sports utility vehicle.

Kiran Choudhary has mentioned her assets at Rs 70.32 crore, which in 2009 were just Rs 10.89 crore. Her wealth has also risen largely because of appreciation in value of her property. In the past five years, she bought two plots in Mahendargarh in 2009 with the current market price of Rs 2 crore, 5.95-acre agricultural land in Bulandshahar in 2013 with a current market price of Rs 1.5 crore, and 1.49-acre agricultural land in Bhiwani in 2012, the current price of which is Rs 37.25 lakh. Her wealth has risen at Rs 3.25 lakh per day in the past five years.

The value of total assets of Mahendra Pratap Singh, technical education minister, is Rs 69.98 crore, while in 2009, he had assets worth Rs 14.36 crore. He has become richer by almost fivefold. He bought a new Skoda car worth Rs 15 lakh this year. His wife had bought 2-acre agricultural land in 2010 whose current value is Rs 60 lakh. She bought a plot in Noida in 2011 whose current value is Rs 6 crore. His wealth has risen at Rs 3.04 lakh per day in the last five years.

Agriculture minister Paramvir Singh has become richer by threefold. In 2009, he had assets worth Rs 5.06 crore, while in 2014 his assets have gone up to Rs 15.73 crore. There has been appreciation in the prices of his land; besides, his wife had bought a residential property in Sector 4 of Mansa Devi Complex in Panchkula in 2012, whose current value is Rs 3 crore. In the past five years, his wife bought 300 gm gold while he bought 30 gm gold. He has also mentioned of running a stud farm, while his wife is into real estate business.

Power minister Capt Ajay Singh Yadav had declared assets worth Rs 7.63 crore in 2009, while in 2014 he has shown wealth of Rs 22.88 crore. His assets have multiplied threefold. He had bought a shop at Dharuhera in 2011 and a share in a shop in a mall, whose current market price is Rs 17.7 lakh. He and his wife have bought a share in a residential property in Gurgaon in 2012 whose current market value is Rs 4.06 crore. His wife has a share in a shop in a mall which was bought in 2011 and whose market price is now Rs 15 lakh, and a shop in Daruhera which was bought in 2010 and whose current market price is Rs 2.7 lakh.

He has mentioned his wife as a businesswoman. Both have liabilities of Rs 2.05 crore.

First-time MLA and sports minister Sukhbir Kataria had Rs 38.34 crore assets largely due to his properties. But now, the assets’ value has jumped by 2.7 times to Rs 104.26 crore. The details of his movable and immovable assets could not be assessed. Besides being a farmer, he has mentioned his and wife’s professions as social workers. His wealth has risen at a rate of Rs 3.61 lakh per day in the past five years.

Chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s wealth has risen from Rs 3.74 crore to Rs 5.5 crore -- a jump by 1.47 times. This year, he bought a residential property in Dronacharya People Representative Cooperative Group Housing Society in Gurgaon whose market price is Rs 25 lakh.

Industry minister Randeep Singh Surjewala had assets worth Rs 4.4 crore in 2009 while in 2014 he assets have gone up to Rs 4.57 crore. There is a marginal increase of Rs 17 lakh in five years.

Local bodies minister Savitri Jindal, the richest woman in India, has posted assets worth Rs 113.27 crore while in 2009 she had Rs 43.68 crore. The rise in her wealth by 2.5 times is largely due to a rise in the value of property and jewellery.

Education minister Geeta Bhukkal had assets worth Rs 2.33 crore in 2009, and in 2014 she has posted Rs 4.61 crore as assets, almost double. She had bought 1 kanal and 19 marla agricultural land in Jhajjar in 2010 whose current market value is Rs 10 lakh. She bought 1 kanal and 19 marla residential property in Jhajjar in 2010, whose market value now is Rs 56 lakh. Her husband bought a flat in New Delhi in 2012 whose market value now is Rs 82 lakh.

Cooperation minister Satpal Singh Sangwan had assets of Rs 1.6 crore in 2009, and in 2014 he posted wealth of Rs 3.35 crore, a twofold increase. His wife bought a plot in Faridabad whose market value now is Rs 17 lakh. His bank deposits have also gone up from Rs 7.84 lakh to Rs 30.24 lakh. He has liabilities of Rs 2.07 crore.

Health minister Rao Narender Singh has shown a rise of 1.19 fold from Rs 2.17 crore in 2009 to Rs 4.14 crore. He runs a petrol pump and has liabilities of Rs 64.2 lakh.

Finance minister Harmohinder Singh Chattha is not contesting the election this time.

Only exception

Surprisingly, labour minister Shiv Charan Lal Sharma is the odd man out as he is the only minister in the Hooda cabinet who has become poorer in the last five years. His assets have come down from Rs 4.3 crore in 2009 to Rs 1.86 crore. He is also a first-time MLA. Last time, he had shown agricultural, non-agricultural and commercial properties, but this time he mentioned the word NIL against them. He has mentioned social service as his occupation and is fighting as Independent from Faridabad NIT.