NITI Aayog meeting: Mann seeks special industrial package for border districts in Punjab

Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday sought a special industrial package for the state's six districts that share borders with Pakistan and also demanded a cash incentive for maize cultivation to replace the water-guzzling paddy crop. At the meeting of the 10th governing council of the NITI Aayog in Delhi, Mann affirmed Punjab's full alignment with the vision of 'Viksit Bharat @2047', and said that his government is committed to build a 'Rangla Punjab' -- a vibrant, inclusive, and progressive state, according to an official statement. 'Punjab Vision 2047' launched in 2023 aligns with 'Viksit Bharat' goals with an ambitious target of eight per cent plus annual GDP growth through industrial and service-led development, Mann said, adding that structural reforms are underway to boost business environment along with infrastructure and innovation. "We reaffirm Punjab's dedication to cooperative federalism and to building a Viksit Bharat by 2047 through mutual collaboration" he added.

To develop Punjab as an industrial hub in the country, the state government has strengthened the unified regulator model under 'Invest Punjab', said Mann. Opposing unilateral borrowing limit deductions under Article 293, Mann urged inclusion of cess, surcharges and select non-tax revenue in the Centre's divisible pool, adding he proposed increasing vertical devolution to 50 per cent. Seeking a special industrial package for border districts, he said industries in these districts are disadvantaged due to proximity to Pakistan. Seeking parity with Jammu and Kashmir incentives for industries, Mann sought PLI (production linked incentive) scheme, freight subsidy, tax relief, agro-zones and others for the state. The chief minister also asked for infrastructure grants for border resilience so as to ensure comprehensive development of six border districts -- Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran, Ferozepur, Fazilka and Pathankot. He said border areas lack support despite high risk and only 101 villages covered under the Vibrant Village scheme. Mann also demanded special grants for trauma centres, bunkers, cyber security and resilient infrastructure.

Seeking upward revision of compensation to farmers having land between fence and border, Mann requested that it should be increased to Rs 30,000 per acre per year against the current compensation of Rs 10,000 per acre. Pleading for restoration and increase in daily allowance of border wing home guards, he said it is imperative for strengthening the second line of defence in border areas. Mann said earlier, this reimbursement was made by the government of India but was discontinued from financial year 2020-21. Seeking a grant of Rs 2,829 crore for the state, Mann said it is necessary to check drug trafficking and upscale border security. He said these funds will be utilised for upgrading infrastructure, jail security, de-addiction and others. Citing that over 53,000 arrests have been made and 3,579 kg of heroin has been seized so far in anti-drug operations, Mann urged the Union government to install 50 additional jamming systems to counter drones on the 553 km border along with the state. He further said in order to revitalize Punjab's economy, it is proposed to develop an economic corridor along the Delhi-Katra Expressway which will pass through Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Gurdaspur, Patiala, Sangrur, and Malerkotla in Punjab. This corridor will serve as a strategic industrial and logistics hub, connecting key regions and facilitating seamless movement of goods and services, said Mann. Batting for crop diversification to make agriculture a profitable venture, Mann sought a cash incentive of Rs 17,500 per hectare for maize to replace paddy. Demanding adequate representation to Punjab officers and officials in the Chandigarh Administration in the ratio of 60:40, Mann said that the Union Territory is the capital of Punjab and there is a well-established and time honoured convention, since the reorganisation of the State of Punjab in 1966, to fill all civil posts in the Chandigarh administration from personnel drawn from Punjab and Haryana in the ratio of 60:40. Raising the issue of immediate release of pending arrears under the Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme for Scheduled Caste Students for Academic Sessions 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20, Mann said Punjab has the highest percentage of Scheduled Caste population (31.94 per cent) in the country and the Post Matric Scholarship scheme for SC Students for pursuing Higher Education was implemented as a 100 per cent Centrally Sponsored Scheme. He said this scheme with a 'Committed Liability' of the state at Rs 60.79 crore proved to be highly beneficial for the Scheduled Caste students in Punjab, adding that the government of India changed the criteria of 'committed liability' in 2018. Mann said that as per the new criteria, the 'committed liability' of the state government suddenly increased to Rs 800.31 crore for the period 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20, which was a 13 times increase from the previous Rs 60.09 crore in 2016-2017. He said the entire accrued liability which resulted on account of sudden change in criteria by the ministry is too huge an amount which cannot be borne by the state government alone. So Mann requested the Centre that this backlog amount of Rs 938.26 crore may kindly be released by the Centre, he said.

Speaking on the issue of desilting of Harike head works, Mann said it is located at the confluence point of rivers Sutlej and Beas and is the main control point for supply of water to South west Punjab, Rajasthan and also controlling flow into Pakistan. He said over the years the sedimentation of suspended silt or sand particles in the reservoir has drastically reduced the capacity of the reservoir and the backwater effect of the water required for optimal operation of canals is now being felt up to Kapurthala district. Large swaths of agricultural land along the Sutlej and Beas rivers are becoming susceptible to flooding, he said, adding that there is an urgent need for carrying out de-silting of the reservoir at a cost Rs 600 crore approximately.