Himachal Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Thursday   thanked the Union Government for according approval to the proposals of about Rs. 10,620 crore of various externally aided projects in Himachal Pradesh during the last four years.

While participating in a pre-budget consultation meeting on union budget 2022-23, at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, presided over by the Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, the Chief Minister said that the Finance Ministry was continuously providing generous financial assistance to the state. He said that the interest free loan of Rs. 400 crore was sanctioned for the development of infrastructure in the state during this financial year and an additional Rs. 600 crore may be provided in the form of special assistance.

Raising the issue of import duty on apples, Thakur emphasized on the need to increase the same from 50 percent to 100 percent to protect Himachali Apple and the livelihood of 2.5 lakh families. He said that the apple was the main horticultural crop of the state which was also the primary source of the livelihood of a large population. However, due to a large influx of the imported apples in the national market, prices of the Himachal Apple had fallen sharply, leading to revenue losses of the horticulturists of the state. Therefore import duty should be increased and apple crop should be excluded from the list of fruits and other commodities brought under Open General License (OGL).

The Chief Minister said that the Airport Authority of India (AAI) had found the site suitable for construction of Green Field Airport in Mandi district and had also accorded its final technical go-ahead. Therefore, this project may be included in the upcoming Union budget. He demanded to declare the proposed airport as a project of national importance and said that the airport was of strategic importance, as it was in close proximity with Leh. The estimated cost for the construction of the airport is about Rs. 3000 crore.

Thakur said that the modes of rail and air connectivity were very limited in the state and three existing airports of Shimla, Kullu and Kangra have small runways making them suitable only for operating small planes and therefore Mandi Airport was the need of the hour.

He demanded the extension of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) compensation facility for the next three years, pointing out that  Himachal Pradesh was a hilly state having tough topographical conditions. He also urged to extend the industrial development policy-2017 for the next five Years in order to boost the economic growth in the state.