Chandigarh, March 18
The shocking truth that Punjab is the economically slowest growing state during the 11th Plan ( 2007-2012) has come to light. Even poverty-stricken states like Bihar, Orissa, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, will grow at an economically much faster pace than Punjab.
This is the assessment of the national planning commission that minutely examines economic fundamentals of growth and other parameters of national economy as well as of the states. The planning commission has released the 11th Plan document to the states concerned.
The rulers will have to do something extraordinary in the interest of the state if they want to put Punjab back on the top of the pedestal and restore its pride and glory.
Punjab is also poised to be outpaced soon as a leading agricultural state for various reasons in the country.
The planning commission has assessed that Punjab average growth during the 11th Five-Year Plan will be 5.9 per cent, much lower then the project national growth of 9 per cent. In fact, national economy is already growing at 9 per cent.
While the tiny state of Goa will be fastest growing state with its rate pegged at 12.1 per cent by the commission, among the major states, Gujarat will be the economically fastest growing at 11.2 per cent as pegged by the planning commission. Karnataka will also be growing at the same pace.
The neighbouring Haryana will be growing at 11 per cent, almost at double the rate of growth of Punjab. West Bengal, the state in which ruling comrades are often taken to task for their anti-reform approach, will be growing at 9.7 per cent, Himachal Pradesh at 9.5 per cent, Uttaranchal at 9.9 per cent, Andhra Pradesh at 9.5 per cent, Maharashtra at 9.1 per cent, Jharkhand at 9.8 per cent
and Nagaland at 9.3 per cent. Orissa will be growing at 8.8 per cent, Tamil Nadu at 8.5 per cent, Chhattisgarh at 8.6 per cent, Bihar at 7.6 per cent, Rajasthan at 7.4 per cent, Madhya Pradesh at 6.7 per cent, Arunachal Pradesh at 6.4 per cent, Assam at 6.5 per cent, Jammu and Kashmir at 6.4 per cent, Meghalaya at 7.1 per cent, Mizoram at 7.1 per cent, Sikkim at 6.7 per cent, Tripura 6.9 per cent, and Uttar Pradesh 6.1 per cent.
The other state with the slowest is Manipur that has been bracketed with Punjab as its growth rate will also be 5.9 per cent.
Among the union territories, the growth rate of Andaman and Nicobar Islands has been projected at 5.4 per cent, Chandigarh at 13.5 per cent, Delhi 11.2 per cent and Pondicherry 9.1 per cent.
Even in the agriculture sector, that is considered the backbone as well as strongest fundamental of Punjab’s economy, will be almost at the bottom at the growth chart of this sector. While Punjab’s agriculture sector will grow at an average of 2.4 per cent, Bihar will grow at 7 per cent, Jharkhand 6.3 per cent, Gujarat 5.5 per cent, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra each at 4.4 per cent, Tamil Nadu at 4.7 per cent, West Bengal at 4 per cent, Karnataka at 5.4 per cent, Haryana at 5.3 per cent and Andhra Pradesh at 4 per cent.
