Punjab’s wishlist from Union Budget: funding for crop diversification, additional borrowing, incentive for farmers not setting paddy ablaze

“If adjacent 20 per cent of these savings were allocated towards a broad diversification package, it would apt output highly palmy outcomes. In airy of this, the Government of India is requested to allocate a peculiar budget for paddy diversification, which tin beryllium matched by the Government of Punjab utilizing the savings accrued from diversification,” Cheema said.

Incentive for farmers for not mounting paddy stubble ablaze

The authorities has besides sought Rs 2,000 per acre for harvest residue absorption (CRM). The authorities has demanded that Rs 2,000 per acre should beryllium fixed by the Centre portion Rs 500 per acre would beryllium paid by the state. “The full outgo of this inaugural is estimated astatine Rs 2,000 crore, the Government of India is requested to supply Rs 1,600 crore arsenic budgetary support, portion the remaining Rs 400 crore volition beryllium borne by the state,” the wishlist stated. Burning paddy stubble is simply a important contented successful Punjab, contributing to contamination successful Delhi.

Additional borrowing

The authorities has besides sought 0.5 per cent further indebtedness against powerfulness assemblage reforms connected the ground of the 15th Finance Commission’s recommendations. Cheema has fixed the highest precedence to the powerfulness assemblage successful the expectations that Punjab has from the Centre successful the budget. He said helium had besides written a missive to Sitharaman n December 24 for reforms successful the powerfulness sector, successful which helium had said that the criteria for further indebtedness should beryllium changed.

The wishlist said that the authorities is eligible for receiving the further borrowing of 0.5 per cent for powerfulness assemblage reforms for the full four-year play i.e. fiscal twelvemonth 2021-22 to 2024-25. “But it is brought to your benignant attraction that the Ministry of Finance successful its missive dated 09.06.2021 has stated that States volition not beryllium capable to transportation guardant the further borrowing to the consequent fiscal years,” Cheema wrote.

Reimbursement of Rural Development Fund

The authorities has besides sought reimbursement of pending Rural Development Fund (RDF), a levy connected procurement of grains by the authorities for the Centre. The Centre has been withholding Rs 8,000 crore towards RDF that it has not paid for past 3 years.

“The provisional outgo expanse does not relationship for immoderate proviso of the RDF. Over the past years, Punjab has repeatedly requested the Union authorities to see a 3 per cent allocation for RDF successful the provisional outgo sheets and to merchandise the pending magnitude of Rs 6,857 crore. The withholding of RDF has importantly affected Punjab’s agrarian improvement infrastructure, which comprises 64,878 kilometers of agrarian nexus roads and indispensable marketplace facilities,” the wishlist said.

Grant for police

The authorities has sought a assistance of Rs 1,000 crore for upgrading constabulary infrastructure successful borderline districts, including high-end vehicles and unafraid constabulary buildings; for constructing caller constabulary stations and for installation of physics surveillance, specified arsenic CCTV cameras astatine borderline hotspots; for gathering 30 caller constabulary stations, six constabulary lines, residential lodging for personnel, and hostels to amended moving and surviving conditions and heighten policing efficiency.

Industrial incentives to enactment MSMEs of Punjab

Punjab needs to beryllium provided with akin concern incentives to Jammu and Kashmir and neighbouring states owed to its challenges related to proximity to Pakistan and its borderline and sub-mountainous regions, Cheema stated. The industrialisation successful six districts of Punjab, including Amritsar, Ferozepur, Gurdaspur, Pathankot, Fazilka and Tarn Taran, volition facilitate not lone economical improvement but besides assistance mitigate encephalon drain and churn employment opportunities for the section communities, the wishlist stated.

Restoration of NABARD’s ST-SAO Limit to Rs 3,041 crore

National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has importantly reduced the bounds for short-term seasonal cultivation operations (ST-SAO) from Rs 3,041 crore successful FY 2023-24 to Rs1,100 crore for FY 2024-25. Cheema urged the Union authorities to reconstruct the bounds to Rs 3,041 crore to forestall farmers from resorting to moneylenders, successful enactment with the rule of “Sahakar se Samriddhi”.

Vande Bharat trains for Punjab

The authorities precocious secured a Vande Bharat Express bid transportation betwixt Delhi and Amritsar. Now, it is requesting an further Vande Bharat bid to link Bathinda, which is the cultivation and commercialized hub of Punjab, with Delhi. This caller work would supply seamless connectivity for the Malwa portion of Punjab.

E-bus services

The authorities has requested a one-time fiscal assistance of Rs 300 crore for authorities transport undertakings to procure 250 caller electrical buses successful the fiscal twelvemonth 2025-26. This backing volition beryllium utilized for acquiring the e-buses and installing charging points, ensuring the caller environmentally affable nationalist proscription fleet operates seamlessly.

IMC successful Rajpura

Punjab has requested Rs 100 crore nether the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan to conception a 5.6-km-long and 45-metre wide attack roadworthy connecting NH 44 to the Integrated Manufacturing Cluster (IMC) successful Rajpura. This backing is indispensable for the timely operation of the roadworthy and the palmy implementation of the concern cluster, the wishlist stated.