Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Thursday said recent skirmishes with Pakistan highlighted the need for making border districts war-resilient by constructing bunkers and air shelters for the city population and setting up alternate connecting routes to border villages, as well as establishing an emergency operations centre (EOC).
During deliberations with a delegation of NITI Aayog led by Member Prof. Ramesh Chand and Programme Director Sanjeet Singh, the chief minister said it is high time that the Aayog generously helps the state in preserving its rich legacy in terms of water and agriculture.
“The state shares 553 kilometres of the International Border with Pakistan and six border districts of Amritsar, Tarn-Taran, Gurdaspur, Pathankot, Ferozepur and Fazilka. The border districts of Punjab need to be supported on the lines of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and J&K to revitalise the state’s trade and industrial sector,” the CM said.
Mann bemoaned that special central incentives to Himachal, Uttarakhand and J&K adversely impacted the economy of border districts in Punjab.
Seeking a special incentive package for border districts, the CM batted for the establishment of agro food processing zone in each border district of Punjab with a special focus on the basmati rice industry and horticultural produce like litchi and others.
Mann also advocated the upgradation of existing focal points in border districts and the establishment of an exhibition-cum-convention centre at Amritsar.
Mann also sought a PLI scheme for the agro sector, tax benefits for the textile sector, freight subsidy for industry and subsidised interest rates on term loans and working capital in border districts.
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He also underscored the need for upward revision of compensation to farmers having land between the International Border and the border fence asserting that more than 17,000 acres fall in between them.
“The present compensation is given to farmers at a rate of Rs 10,000 per acre per year, which should be enhanced to Rs 30,000 per acre annually. Instead of sharing between the Centre and the state, this should be paid by the Centre.”
The CM emphasised fortifying the Border Wing Home Guards Scheme to cover all 2107 border villages to strengthen the second line of defence in border regions.
He also sought enhancement of the Duty Allowance from the present Rs 45 per day per jawan (fixed in 1999) to at least Rs 655 per day per jawan.
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“It is imperative for better coordination between Border Villages and BSF,” he said
Mann also sought Rs 2,829 crore for the upgradation of infrastructure and equipment, including jammers to check the smuggling of weapons and drugs through drones.
Raising the issues of the industrial sector, Mann said the current share of the Manufacturing sector in the state’s economy was 14.4 per cent, but the state government intends to escalate it to 20 per cent by 2030 and 25 per cent by 2047.
For this, Mann sought a freight subsidy for Punjab, being a landlocked state and the introduction of a scheme along the lines of the Export Promotion Capital Goods (EPCG) scheme for small manufacturers, so that they can send their goods within the country.
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The CM also sought extension of PLI to bicycles, E-bikes and their components, R&D facilities for innovative product design and materials for bicycles and expansion of the existing High-Tech Valley Industrial Park at Ludhiana in SPV mode and developing the cluster as Bicycles Export Zone. He also advocated the development of Sports Goods Export Zones in Jalandhar.
The CM demanded a special economic package for the state comprising Rs 2,000 crore for Special Economic Zone, development of Industrial Corridors (Global Manufacturing Hub) along the Bharat Mala Project, extension of Semi-Conductor Lab (SCL) in Mohali, expansion of Software Technology Parks (STPI) in Mohali and development of dedicated Sector-Specific Export Zones in Punjab- including Amritsar for Food Processing, Ludhiana for Textiles and Mohali for Automobile Parks.
Talking about the agriculture sector, Mann solicited the support of the Centre to promote crop diversification, by encouraging alternative crops to paddy which consume less water.
Mann said the Centre should support his government’s pilot project to promote the kharif maize initiative by providing funds for payment of a cash incentive of Rs 17,500 per hectare to all maize growers in the state under the existing CSS Crop Diversification Programme.
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Likewise, the CM said cotton is an important kharif crop in south-western districts of the state, and until a new seed (resistant to pink bollworm) is commercialised, assistance should be provided to cotton growers for Mating Disruption Technology (MDT) for the management of PBW. Mann said farmers should be incentivised for cotton cultivation on an acreage basis.
Mann reiterated that Punjab has no surplus water for any state.
Asserting that in the wake of the grim situation of water in the state, the Yamuna-Sutlej-Link (YSL) canal should be considered for construction instead of the Satluj Yamuna Link (SYL) canal, Mann said “Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej rivers are already in deficit and water should be diverted from surplus to deficit basins.”
However, Mann bemoaned that while apportioning the river waters between Punjab and Haryana, the Yamuna waters were not considered, whereas the waters of Ravi and Beas were duly taken into account.
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Raising the issue of bias approach of Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), the CM said that the Board was constituted under the provisions of the Punjab Reorganization Act, 1966, with the mandate to regulate the supply of water and power from the Bhakra, Nangal and Beas projects to the partner states of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi and Chandigarh.
