E-Paper
Punjab seeks special ₹2,500 cr industrial development package of border districts
Punjab FM Harpal Singh Cheema sought border area special industrial package of ₹2,500 cr for development of border districts during pre-budget meeting with Nirmala Sitharaman
Chandigarh: Punjab finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Friday sought a border area special industrial package of ₹2,500 cr for the development of border districts of the state during a pre-budget meeting with the Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman held at Manekshaw Centre in New Delhi.
Cheema also raised other major demands including the resolution of the cash credit limit (CCL) issue in line with recommendations of the 15th finance commission sub-committee, budgetary support of ₹1,125 cr for assistance to farmers quitting stubble burning, ₹1,000 cr special assistance for modernisation of police and infrastructure in sensitive border districts of the state, Vande Bharat trains from Amritsar and Bathinda to New Delhi and a railway link between Rajpura and Chandigarh.
“A special package of ₹2,500 Cr should be provided to Punjab for the development of the industrial sector in the border districts of Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Firozpur, and Fazilka,” Cheema said.
He said that this budgetary support would help the government in the setting up of infrastructure for industrial hubs and parks specifically focusing on the One District One Products (ODOPs) and supplementing the promotion of exports besides providing special incentives or subsidies to the investors for establishing their industrial units in these border districts.
Raising the CCL issue, Cheema said that the sub-committee notified by the 15th finance commission under the Chairmanship of Ramesh Chand, in its report, has verified claims of Punjab amounting to ₹6,155 cr. He demanded an early resolution of this issue.
Demanding budgetary support of ₹1,125 cr for assistance to farmers quitting stubble burning, the Punjab finance minister said that the government has already requested the Union government to support and collaborate by providing ₹1,500 per acre as compensation to farmers in lieu of the additional cost to be incurred on the management of paddy stubble and thus to tackle the menace of stubble burning and air pollution.
Cheema also sought ₹1,000 cr special assistance for the modernisation of the police force and policing infrastructure in the sensitive border districts of the state.
