Ahead of Union Budget 2024, SAD seeks funds for diversification, debt waiver for farmers, release of RDF funds
Chandigarh, July 22: The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Monday urged the 16th Finance Commission to modify the formulas adopted for devolution of taxes to Punjab. It sought allocation of funds to facilitate diversification, instituting a debt waiver for state farmers, fixing a regular grant for compensating border farmers, tax concessions for promoting industry, release of dues of Rural Development Fund (RDF) and Sarv Sikhya Abhian, settling accounts of FCI and release of funds as untied funds.
The SAD also called for righting the historical wrongs done to Punjab while citing the inter-state conference of 1955 on development and utilisation of Ravi-Beas waters under which 8 MAF water was given to the non-Riparian state of Rajasthan.
The party said the meeting had decided that the cost of water would be taken up separately but that this had not been decided even after a gap of 69 years. It called on the commission to recommend to the Central Government to pay Punjab its due amount. Similarly, the SAD also called for the transfer of Chandigarh to Punjab and payment of all income due to the state due to Haryana’s failure to vacate the capital within 10 years of the reorganisation of the state.
Participating in a meeting of the 16th Finance Commission, senior SAD leaders Maheshinder Singh Grewal and Dr Daljit Singh Cheema said public debt in Punjab had reached an alarming figure of Rs 3.43 lakh crore and that a debt to GSDP ratio of 49 per cent left negligible funds for capital expenditure.
Upholding the need to work on the principle of federalism which the party had upheld by passing the Anandpur Sahib resolution in 1973, the SAD delegation called for reworking formulas for devolution of taxes to the states. It said vertical devolution of taxes should be increased from 41 per cent to 50 per cent and that Punjab should not be victimised for supporting the nation’s family planning programme under horizontal devolution of taxes. It also highlighted how the state had to spend more on internal security due to cross border smuggling of arms and drugs as well as the fact that it had the highest population of scheduled castes in the country.
Maheshinder Grewal and Dr Daljit Cheema highlighted the need for a major diversification plan to save ground water depletion and appealed for special grants to improve water carrying capacity of its canals. They also called for the revival of the Kandi Area grant for infrastructure development of semi hilly areas. They said a debt waiver was also the need of the hour considering the fact that the state’s agrarian economy was in a mess due to long term anti-farmer policies of the Centre, which had indebted small and marginal farmers and increased farm suicides.
The SAD delegation also took a strong note of the stoppage of release of the Rural Development Fund (RDF) by the Centre and demanded that the entire pending amount should be released to the state without any further delay. It said this was necessary to fund the maintenance of rural infrastructure, especially grain markets and rural roads. It said funds under the Sarb Sikhya Abhian which had been withheld by the Centre should also be released and FCI accounts should be settled.
The SAD leaders also appealed to the commission to recommend to the Centre to immediately open trade with Pakistan through the Wagha – Attari border, which they said would improve the fiscal position of Punjab.
- PTC NEWS
