Continuing with his Delhi visit to apprise the Union Ministers regarding his wish list for the next fiscal’s General Budget, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Friday sought immediate release of pending grants, Rs266.82 crore for resolving problem issue of presence of heavy metals, Rs275 crore special financial assistance for upcoming heritage and tourism projects across the state, among other things.
Eighty five-year-old Chief Minister, on his second day of national Capital’s visit, met Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Union Rural Development Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh, and the Union State Minister for Tourism and Culture Mahesh Sharma flagging the state-specific demands. Badal, in his meeting with Jaitley, urged him to provide full interest relief from 10.5 to nine percent to Punjab on small saving loans of Rs703 crore as recommended by 13th Finance Commission.
He impressed upon Jaitley to release pending grants worth Rs362 crore recommended by 13th Finance Commission to Punjab Government. Badal also pleaded for the relief to be given to three debt-stressed States including Punjab as recommended by 13thFinance Commission and sought Jaitley’s personal intervention while considering the recommendations of the 14th Finance Commission.
The Chief Minister demanded release of Rs867 crore compensation, already due to the state on account of CST reduction, for the period 2010-2015. Badal also sought early release of initial grant of Rs50 crore for drug de-addiction activity announced by Jaitley, while replying to the debate on last budget. Raising pro-farmers issue, Badal advocated that minimum support price (MSP) for agriculture crops should be fixed as per Dr MS Swaminathan formula, that is cost plus 50 per cent profit to benefit the farmers.
“Instead of crop diversification program, thrust must be laid on agriculture diversification by including alternative like dairying, fisheries, poultry, piggery, goatry, bee-keeping and other subsidiary occupations in the list for financial assistance by the Government,” he said adding that allied farming activities should be given exemption from payment of income tax. Badal said that small and marginal farmers should be provided interest-free short term crop loans whereas other farmers should be provided crop loans at two percent, and agriculture investment credit at six percent interest.
“A scheme should be announced in the coming budget for crop insurance for farmers to protect them from vagaries of weather and climate change as agriculture is no longer a profitable venture,” he added. Responding, Jaitley directed the Ministry to immediately release grants of 13th Finance Commission pending with it since long.
Badal, in another meeting, impressed upon the Union Rural Development Minister to provide separate funds for installing water purification systems in rural areas in the coming Union Budget. “1921 habitations in the state are affected with uranium and heavy metals in drinking water, which is a cause of major concern,” he said.
He said that National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP) allocations for 2014-15 were Rs 81.84 crore, which was too inadequate in view of gravity of this problem. Moreover, NRDWP guidelines do not cover habitations affected with presence of uranium and heavy metals in drinking water, due to which potable drinking water was a distant dream for these habitations.
“Affected habitations urgently require 1829 water purification systems (RO) for which the Centre should generously help the state. State government has already submitted a project worth Rs 266.82 crore to the Centre for its immediate consideration,” said Badal urging the Minister to immediately sanction funds for this project.
Responding, Chaudhary Birender Singh directed the Ministry to immediately dispatch two special teams in water logged, bet and kandi areas to assess the gravity of situation and suggest immediate remedial measures. Besides, Badal also urged the Union State Minister for Tourism and Culture to grant Rs 275 crore as special financial assistance for the upcoming iconic heritage and tourism projects across the state.
“This allocation would encourage the state in making more such endeavors,” said Badal while apprising Mahesh Sharma about the state government’s efforts to preserve and highlight Punjab’s rich cultural heritage including construction of Virasat-e-Khalsa Memorial at Sri Anandpur Sahib, Museum-cum-Panorama Center at Valmiki Tirath in Amritsar, Jang-e-Azaadi memorial at Kartapur near Jalandhar, War Heroes Museum at Amritsar.
Badal demanded financial assistance “in view of increase in the cost” of these projects. He sought Rs35 crore for Virasat-e-Khalsa, onetime special grant of Rs70 crore for Valmiki Tirath project, Rs100 crore special assistance for Jang-e-Azaadi memorial, and Rs50 crore for War Heroes Memorial. Impressed with the State Government’s initiatives, Sharma agreed to release a grant of Rs55 crore out of which Rs30 crore would be spent on War Heroes Museum and Rs25 crore for Virasat-e-Khalsa Memorial.
He also informed Badal that the Ministry has selected Amritsar out of 12 religious countries across the country for special grant of Rs10 crore under its PARSAD scheme meant for augmentation and development of pilgrimage towns.