New Delhi, February 19
Punjab’s annual plan for 2008-09 has been fixed at Rs 6,224 crore
which marks 21.77 per cent increase over last year’s plan allocation.
The outlay includes additional Central assistance of Rs 200 crore for
projects of special interest to the state.
The plan outlay was finalised at a meeting today between Punjab Chief
Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Planning Commission deputy chairman
Montek Singh Ahluwalia.
While Badal outlined the demands of the state, the Planning
Commission officials told him that the policy of free power needs to be
reviewed as it was leading to over exploitation of ground water. They
urged the state government to take lead in agro-marketing, undertake
power sector reforms and lay emphasis on crop diversification, genetic
improvement of major crops and skill up-gradation through public private
partnerships.
Badal said the outlay for 2007-08 was Rs 5,111 crore and the increase
to Rs 6,224 crore for the coming fiscal marked a significant rise.
He said the present system of fixing the minimum support price (MSP)
should be reviewed with the minimum price being 50 per cent over the
cost of production. Calling for one-time waiver of agriculture loans
amounting to Rs 26,000 crore, he said farm indebtedness in the state was
the highest in the country.
The Chief Minister also mooted a proposal for creating an Agriculture
Development Fund (ADF) to be financed through a payment of an additional
sum of Rs 100 per quintal on paddy and wheat procured in the state. This
fund would help to rejuvenate agriculture and rehabilitate the century
old canal system and redress the problem of water logging.
Demanding an industrial package for reviving sick industry in Punjab,
the Chief Minister urged the Centre to include Punjab in its proposed
Manufacturing Investment Region Scheme. He said more items should be
included in the list of items traded with Pakistan through land route.
Seeking a fresh identification of BPL families, he said the present
definition of BPL families does not cover all poor people. A Punjab
government spokesman said Badal invited Ahluwalia to visit villages of
the state to feel the pulse of the poor people who were facing
hardships.
The Chief Minister advocated the concept of including percentage of
SC population as a criteria for transfer of funds from the Centre to
states and sought enhancement of amount under the Indira Awas Yojana (IAY)
from Rs 25,000 to Rs 50,000.
He said sex ratio in the state had improved from 796 in 2002 and 818
in 2005 and hoped it would go to 850 by the end of 11th plan. He said
the state government had introduced the concept of gender budgeting in
the state plan.
On irrigation, he urged the Centre to fund the entire project of Rs
3,200 crore under relaxed Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP).
He said the Kolkata-Ludhiana Dedicated Rail Freight Corridor should
be extended till Attari and demanded a new rail link between Amritsar
and Ferozepur.
Emphasising the need to enhance the present annual allocation under
the Border Area Development Programme (BADP), Badal asked for special
fiscal incentives to be granted for four border districts of Amritsar,
Gurdaspur, Ferozepur and Tarn Taran. He also impressed upon the Centre
to grant compensation to the farmers at the rate of Rs 10,000 per acre
for 18,500 acres of land being cultivated across the border fence.
Badal said a new department of employment generation had been created
to improve employability of Punjab youth and focused attention was being
given to improving the delivery of public services in health and
education sectors.
Planning Commission members critically evaluated the functioning of
health, education, social welfare and agriculture and power sectors and
suggested that the state government should fully utilise the funds
provided under various schemes and programmes in the annual plan.
Ahluwalia complimented the state for the initiatives taken to ensure
inclusive growth and efforts to encourage private sector participation
in development.
