Seeking priority for the primary sector while formulating national plans, Punjab Chief Minister, Parkash Singh Badal, on Sunday urged the Union government to formulate a flagship scheme, to ensure economic viability of Agriculture, where the continued stagnation, increased input costs and low returns had resulted in mounting debt and suicides among the farmers across the country.
Participating in the first meeting of the Governing Council of the newly constituted NITI Ayog at the Prime Minister’s residence in New Delhi, Mr. Badal advocated the continuation in procurement at minimum support price (MSP) by the Food Corporation of India (FCI) till a viable alternative was provided to the farmers. He referred to apprehensions in wake of recent media reports about proposals at the Government of India level, suggesting withdrawal of MSP as well as procurement by FCI.
An official release on the occasion quoting Mr Badal said that recommendations of CMs be sought regarding appointment of experts, specialists and practitioners in the NITI Aayog, where officers from the States be also be accommodated in its Secretariat. He also proposed that the PM should chair the meetings of the Regional Councils, which as was with the NITI Ayog, should meet at least once in six months. The North India Regional Council centre should be set up at Chandigarh, he demanded.
Mr. Badal also sought also sought that States should be at liberty to prepare their own annual plans, while the prevalent system of Annual Plan joint review should be done away with. He also suggested the termination of 12th Plan to make it co-terminus with the Finance Commission period. Mr. Badal expressed concern over apathy towards the woes of the Punjab peasantry which had ensured food self sufficiency of the Nation at the cost of depletion in ground water and degradation of soil. He demanded a special one-time allocation for the restoration and rejuvenation of century old canal network in the State. He also pointed out that the State government had already submitted a detailed proposal as the restoration was not feasible under allocations through existing schemes.
Though he appreciated Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’ to promote small and cottage industries across the country, Mr. Badal cautioned that this “out of the box initiative” must ensure level playing field for the industry in States like Punjab, which need to be compensated for the losses suffered due to incentives given to neighbouring hill States. Vying for allocation of Central sector projects in Punjab besides restoration of freight equalisation, Mr. Badal said that the State’s efforts for industrialisation would not fructify without Centre’s unstinted support and cooperation.
Punjab had taken various steps to reform its laws and various regulatory apparatus, which was evident from congenial industry-labour relations. He demanded that all the central labour laws should be compiled into a single comprehensive. The Chief Minister sought the setting up of a separate ministry of skill development, which should ensure adequate operational flexibility to the States. He apprised that Punjab State Skill Development Mission has already been set up and skill gaps identified. On the lines of Sagar Mala project aimed at ensuring holistic development of the coastal areas, he sought introduction of ‘Border Mala’ project for the border areas, especially in land locked States. While trade with Pakistan through Attari-Wagah border should be brought at par with Mumbai-Karachi port, Mr. Badal also demanded opening of the Hussainiwala and Fazilka borders routes for trade, while the industrial corridor and dedicated freight corridor should be extended up to the Attari border in Amritsar.
Mr. Badal said that national-level schemes should include the initiatives by individual States. Like ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ scheme, the Centre should also adopt Punjab’s successful initiatives including the ‘shagun scheme’, Nanhi Chhan project and Mai Bhago scheme. He said that under the ‘Jan Dhan Yojna’ Punjab had covered all unbanked families. The State government had provided all required support
including the Right of Way, while pursuing the ‘Digital India’ programme, where more than 2000 sewa kendras had begun providing 200 citizen-centric services. He suggested that urbanisation level of every State should be evaluated before determining the number of cities to be taken up in the ‘Smart Cities Mission,’ while parity be mandated in financing patterns in the rural and urban areas under the ‘Housing for all’ mission.
