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Hindustan Times
25-05-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
NITI Aayog meet: CM Mann seeks special package for Punjab border districts
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 said to develop Punjab as an industrial hub in the country, the state government has strengthened the unified regulator model under 'Invest Punjab'. Seeking a special industrial package for border districts, Mann said industries in these districts are disadvantaged due to their proximity to Pakistan. Seeking parity with Jammu and Kashmir incentives for industries, Mann sought a 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 to ensure a comprehensive development of six border districts -- Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran, Ferozepur, Fazilka and Pathankot. 'Border areas lack support despite high risk and only 101 villages are covered under the Centre's 'Vibrant Village' scheme. Special grants should be given for trauma centres, bunkers, cyber security and resilient infrastructure,' Mann said and sought upward revision of compensation to farmers having land between fence and border to ₹30,000 per acre per year against the current compensation of ₹10,000 per acre. Mann also opposed unilateral borrowing limit deductions under Article 293 and urged the inclusion of cess, surcharges and select non-tax revenue in the Centre's divisible pool, adding he proposed increasing vertical devolution to 50%. The CM affirmed Punjab's full alignment with the vision of 'Viksit Bharat @2047', and said that his government is committed to building a 'Rangla Punjab' -- a vibrant, inclusive, and progressive state, according to an official statement. 'We reaffirm Punjab's dedication to cooperative federalism and to building a Viksit Bharat by 2047 through mutual collaboration' he added. Seeking a grant of ₹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. He further said to revitalise 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. 'This corridor will serve as a strategic industrial and logistics hub, connecting key regions and facilitating seamless movement of goods and services,' Mann said. Batting for crop diversification to make agriculture a profitable venture, Mann sought a cash incentive of ₹17,500 per hectare for maize to replace paddy. Mann demanded adequate representation of Punjab officers and officials in the Chandigarh Administration in the ratio of 60:40. Raising the issue of 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%) in the country. Mann also batted for the desilting of Harike head works, located at the confluence point of rivers Sutlej and Beas. 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 ₹600 crore approximately.
The Hindu
10-05-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
The Hindu Huddle 2025: Union Government cannot dictate the state's policies, says Palanivel Thiaga Rajan
The Union Government cannot dictate the state's policies as the elected governments in states get to decide for themselves within the realm of the constitution, Tamil Nadu Minister for Information Technology and Digital Services Palanivel Thiaga Rajan said on Saturday. 'Government of India nowhere gets the power to tell us what our priorities are. They are trying to dictate to us. The constitution is clear about Government of India cannot be dictating state's policies. If you try to do all things from Delhi because you are power hungry, you will fail,' the Minister said during the panel discussion on 'More Than a Sum of Parts: Reimagining India's Federalism', moderated by Narayan Lakshman, the Curator of The Hindu Huddle and Opinion Editor, The Hindu. Also Read | The Hindu Huddle 2025 Day 2 live updates Echoing similar sentiments, P. Rajeeve, Kerala Minister for Law, Industries and Coir said: 'The parliament cannot fix the borrowing limits of the state. It does not have power to regulate universities. Centre is taking away all powers and encroaching upon the states' powers.' Some Governors are living in colonial era, and unfortunately nobody during the discussion in Constituent Assembly could predict that this kind of people will become Governors, he said, hitting out at the overreach of the Governors in the Opposition-ruled states. Range of issues The two leaders exchanged their views over a range of issues on devolution of funds, delimitation, centre-state relationship, the role of the Governor and language, which comes at a time when Southern states are at loggerheads with the Union Government. Asking when was the last time that a Governor spoke about the issues pertaining to his state, Mr. Thiaga Rajan said that though the money was coming from states, the Centre was limiting the divisible pool by charging cess and surcharges that are not divisible. 'The Centre is using Article 293 and provisions in back -to back loan to limit the borrowing limits of the state. We are capable of handling our finances. Who is questioning the Centre when the fiscal deficit is going through the roof?' Delimitation On the delimitation exercise that is set to be disadvantageous to Southern states, Mr. Rajeeve said: 'We are not against delimitation, but a proportion should be maintained when the number of seats is increased. Equal representation has to be provided. It will be unfair if development index and population control is not considered and South's representation is reduced.' Seeking a 30-years freeze on delimitation, Mr. Thiaga Rajan said that states that successfully implemented population control were being punished. 'Whichever party dominates the Hindi heartland has the potential to be in power. Importance of other 26 states will be inconsequential. The states that would benefit in redistribution of seats are the Hindi heartland states that are already securing benefits. What more do they expect with more and better representation? Tall leaders of the country in their wisdom decided to freeze the delimitation exercise.' He pointed out at the equitable representation in the GST council irrespective of the contribution of states to GST pool or the population size. The Hindu Huddle 2025 is presented by Sami-Sabinsa Group Co-powered by: Government of Karnataka, Government of Telangana; Associate Partners: ONGC, Presidency University, TAFE, Akshayakalpa Organic; Energy Partner : Indian Oil Corporation Limited; Realty partner: Casagrand; Knowledge partner: Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham; State partner: Meghalaya tourism and Haryana government; Luxury car partner: Toyota; Radio partner: Radio City; Gift partner: Anand Prakash; Broadcast partner: Times Now; Outdoor media partner: Signpost India
