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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | No focus on Punjab issues -Sarbjit Dhaliwal

No focus on Punjab issues -Sarbjit Dhaliwal

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published Published on Jul 13, 2014   modified Modified on Jul 13, 2014
-The Tribune


Chandigarh: There is nothing much for Punjab in the Union Budget. In fact, it has left important issues pertaining to state's fiscal health and economy untouched.

As far as Punjab is concerned, the Union Budget is disappointing," said eminent economist Sucha Singh Gill.

The Budget has left state's debt issue untouched. When Pranab Mukherjee was the Finance Minister, he had proposed to set up a special committee at the Union Government level to address the issue. But Finance Minster Arun Jaitley has made no mention of such an arrangement though state's debt has crossed Rs 1 lakh crore and it is facing a fiscal crisis. "I think the Centre had completely ignored Punjab," said former Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal.

Another issue that has been bothering the state was the special concessions announced to promote industry in hill states. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had recently met Prime Minister Narendra Modi to urge him to announce similar concessions to the state to protect its industry from shifting to neighbouring hill states. However, Jaitley skipped this issue in his Budget today.

Punjab is one of the leading producers of medium-staple cotton. It has been urging the Centre for the past several years to set up a textile park in the Bathinda region. Though Jaitley has announced mega textile clusters for some other states, there is no such provision for Punjab. Even the Union Health Ministry had recently assured CM Badal to set up an AIIMS-like institution in Punjab, but there is no mention of it in the Budget.

Punjab had submitted a detailed report to the Centre for initiating diversification to move out from the wheat-paddy cycle. It had sought Rs 7,000 crore from the Centre to accomplish the task. However, there is no mention of it in the Budget. In fact, the UPA government had allocated some money to the state during the last fiscal year. Punjab is a state where hundreds of farmers have committed suicide in recent years due to debt burden, but there is no provision to address that issue.

Then there has been a need to improve the canal system in the state. The Centre has made a provision of Rs 1,000 crore for the entire country though Punjab alone needs about Rs 7,200 crore for the purpose.

Aam Aadmi Party leader and MP Dharmvira Gandhi said there was no mention of implementing the Swaminathan committee report in the Budget to determine the MSP of crops. "Promise in this regard was made in the BJP's manifesto, but there is no mention of it the Budget," he said.

"There is also no mention of crop insurance, employment for youths and regularising private educational institutions. There is no major provision for primary and secondary health facilities, secondary and higher education," he added.


The Tribune, 10 July, 2014, http://www.tribuneindia.com/2014/20140711/budget.htm#17


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