Himachal Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Sunday advocated for formulating a holistic, inclusive and consistent development policy for sustainable development of Himalayan states.
The Chief Minister, while addressing the conclave of the Himalayan states at Mussoorie in Uttarakhand, said that about 66 per cent geographical area of Himachal Pradesh is covered by forests and if ecologically viable and scientific silviculture practices are allowed, the state can earn additional annual revenue of about Rs 4000 crore.
However, due to national laws and orders of courts, the state is neither able to get full revenue from its forest wealth, nor undertaking developmental activities on larger geographical area. Therefore, Himachal Pradesh should be suitably compensated for being deprived of revenue worth crores of rupees for being denied harnessing its forest wealth, he said.
The Chief Minister urged the Finance Commission and the Union Government to provide adequate grant to revenue deficit states so that after overcoming post devolution deficit, they have adequate funds for capital investment.
He said that Himachal has witnessed huge fall in income from GST and urged the Finance Commission for proper evacuation of GST for remaining 33 months for the state.
Thakur said that the state has immense tourism potential but there is non-availability of rail and air connectivity. A big airport must be constructed in the state. The construction of roads in Himalayan states was very expensive and rail network was almost negligible. Besides, being hilly, the Himalayan states are prone to several natural calamities and it is the need of the hour that the Union Government ensures adequate allocation of funds under SDRF for the Himalayan states, he said.
The Chief Minister further said that Article 275 and 280 of Indian Constitution makes provision of adequate grant of economically weak and revenue deficit states.
Most of the rivers in the country originate from the Himalayas and the Himalayan states are playing the most significant role in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's water conservation initiative. Most of the Himalayan states have to depend on financial management on Centre and Finance and Planning Commissions, but after scraping of Planning Commission, these states are facing a lot of financial hardships, he said.
Due to difficult topography and geographic conditions, the Himalayan states require more finances and manpower for construction and maintain of basics infrastructure such as roads, education, health, irrigation and drinking water, power etc, he added.
Thakur also said that the Himachal Government is endeavouring to achieve the sustainable development goals by 2022, instead of 2030 and also to enhance the “ease of living” level of its people.
While congratulating Uttarakhand Chief Minister TS Rawat for making a commendable effort to bring the Himalayan states on a common platform, he said that conclave would be historic as a development roadmap for the Himalayan states would emerge from it.
He said that deliberations focused on sustainable development of the Himalayan states, rivers, glaciers and water resources located in the region, disaster management, ecosystem services, tourism and wellness potential.
Thakur expressed hope that this conclave would go a long way in getting more funds from Union Government, Finance Commission and NITI Ayog to the Himalayan States.
Speaking on the occasion, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that the Himalayan states have a major role to play being the custodian for saving the pristine environment of the Himalayas.
She said that long term strategies need to be prepared to protect the fragile Himalayan ecology. Proper infrastructure must be created in border areas of these states to check migration of people from these areas which makes the border areas vulnerable, she said.The Union Minister said that the proper balance between development of Himalayan states and other states of the country must be maintained.
Himalayan states must also ensure that their lands are not exposed to excessive use of chemical fertilisers. Youth should be empowered for ensuring development at the grassroots, particularly in the Himalayan regions as they can come up with new ideas for development, she added.
Chairman, 15th Finance Commission NK Singh said that the expectations of the Chief Ministers of the Himalayan states from 15th Finance Commission are justifiable and the Commission is fully aware of the developmental needs.
He said that the Commission has laid down some criteria for evaluating the sustainable development steps taken by the State Governments of the Himalayan states.