Shimla, May 29
Surpassing his predecessor Atal Bihari Vajpayee in extending largesse to the hill state, Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh today announced a direct financial assistance of over Rs 1,125 crore under various schemes. He also gave nod for several big and small projects involving an investment running into thousands of crores of rupees.
He accepted the state’s demand for raising its equity share in the Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam projects from 25 per cent to 30 per cent and supported the debt-ridden state’s demand for a structural adjustment facility so that it could reduce stress on the finances due to outstanding loans.
Dr Manmohan Singh announced what is being termed as a “mega economic package” by the Congress, after holding prolonged discussions with Mr Virbhadra Singh, Chief Minister, and his team of officers at Kalpa where he stayed for the night.
He found merit in the state plea for expanding the rail network and gave a categorical assurance that the Nangal-Talwara rail track would be completed by 2008. He would get a survey conducted before December 2005 to study the feasibility of a Baddi-Chandigarh rail link and take up with the Railways a project for the construction of a 110-km rail link from Bhanupali to Bilaspur.
Giving details of the package, the Prime Minster said a major relief had been provided to the state by making the “tied” special Plan assistance of Rs 400 crore “untied.” A special project involving an expenditure of Rs 500 crore would be taken up under the Bharat Nirman scheme to provide drinking water facility to the left-out 6,000 partially covered habitations to achieve universal coverage. Further, a special assistance of Rs 200 crore would be provided for extending road connectivity to 410 panchayats having a population of around 250.
A grant of Rs 20 crore for the upgradation of infrastructure in
three universities would be provided. The Centre would assist the state in acquiring helicopters through a viability gap funding of up to Rs 1 crore per aircraft for the next three years. The airstrip at Kangra would be extended by 400 ft for which the government must divert the road passing through its vicinity. It would facilitate the landing of 45-seater aircraft.
In the tourism sector, funds would be granted to develop around 10 designated centres for which the state would submit detailed projects. The Centre would also provide 20,000 DTH boxes free of cost to the state to extend the coverage of satellite TV to remote areas in the tribal Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti districts. Container Corporation (Concor) would be asked to examine the feasibility of setting up an inland container depot at Baddi.
The state has been given an open offer to submit any number of gravity irrigation scheme for funding, as sufficient funds were available for the purpose.
Mr Virbhadra Singh claimed that in financial terms, the overall package worked out to Rs 4,100 crore which was unprecedented in the history of the state.
Mr Kuldeep Kumar, Industry Minister and President of the state Congress Committee, has thanked the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, for giving an attractive package of about Rs 4,000 crore for the development of Himachal Pradesh.
Mr Kuldeep Kumar also thanked the Prime Minister for giving assurance that the Nangal-Talwara rail line would be completed by 2008.
He said that this package would enable the state government to fulfil the promises made by the Congress during the last elections.
