E-Paper
Bittu meets Sitharaman, seeks special incentives for Punjab’s border districts
Union minister of state for railways and food processing Ravneet Singh Bittu on Thursday met Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman and sought special incentives for border districts of Punjab on the pattern of Jammu and Kashmir. besides incentives for industry and farmers
Chandigarh: Union minister of state for railways and food processing Ravneet Singh Bittu on Thursday met Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman and sought special incentives for border districts of Punjab on the pattern of Jammu and Kashmir. besides incentives for industry and farmers.
Taking up the issues of Punjab at a marathon meeting held late last on Wednesday night, Bittu urged the FM to consider demands of Punjab on priority being a border state. Bittu said that he demanded special incentives for border districts of Amritsar, Ferozepur, Gurdaspur and Tarn Taran to boost investment and employment opportunities in the state on lines with J&K and northeastern states.
The minister informed the FM that the flagship Credit Linked Capital Subsidy Scheme (CLCSS) should be reintroduced with a threshold limit of ₹1,00,00,000, as there is a lack of effective schemes supporting MSMEs in achieving technological advancements. In light of the recent increase in capital costs, it is desired that the limit under the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) be increased to ₹1,00,00,000.
Suggesting for amendment in freight subsidy criteria to cover MSMEs in Punjab, Bittu requested the FM that transportation costs to deliver goods to the nearest port in India is much higher for land-locked states such as Punjab than coastal states. The cost also depends on the distance of the nearest port from the respective state. He said that many other states like J&K, Himachal Pradesh, parts of Uttarakhand and West Bengal were enjoying transport subsidy ranging from 50 to 90%.
He also demanded reduction of GST on bicycle to 5% as on e-bicycles.
Bittu demanded to commence the operations of the refrigeration unit near Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport, Amritsar, to boost export of food items from Punjab. The unit installed years ago is not functional. It would benefit Punjab and neighbouring states as well, he said.
Bittu also pushed for “farmer-entrepreneur initiative” and special incentives on agro-based MSME industry along with food processing industry as it will help Punjab farmers to set up food processing industries which will generate employment in the border state. He suggested lower rate of interest, collateral free loans, relaxation in CGST. He also sought waiver for farmers with land holdings up to 5 acres, soil testing labs for Majha, Doaba and Malwa regions, special package for R&D at Punjab Agricultural University.
Bittu said that the FM assured that Punjab will get a good representation in the coming budget.
