Agriculture continues to be in focus, gets ₹14,370 crore
Allied activities, debt waiver and free power take away the lion’s share; agriculturemarketing infrastructure gets ₹750 crore
CHANDIGARH: At Rs 14,734 crore, the budget estimate for agriculture for 2018-19 is a jump of 40% over last fiscal’s allocation of Rs 10,541 crore. Last year had also seen a hike of allocation of 66% over the last budget of the SADBJP regime. This means that since assuming power, the Congress government has increased the allocation to agriculture by 131%.
The government has also taken note of the perceived snub from the Niti Aayog and has provided for allied activities. Finance minister Manpreet Singh’s speech mentioned horticulture, floriculture, sugarcane, marketing of agricultural products, animal husbandry, fisheries, dairy development, piggery, goat rearing and even cattlefeed.
“The union government, despite our repeated requests, has failed to come to the rescue of the Anndata (farmer). Our policy shall be centred only and only on welfare of our farmers,” he said.
₹4,250 CRORE FOR DEBT WAIVER
The allocation includes ₹4,250 crore for waiving off debt to small and marginal farmers. Manpreet added the government was still to get a list of eligible beneficiaries from commercial banks, and if complete database reached the government, he would top-up the scheme.
“Our slogan for farmers this year is, ‘Khushhal Kisan, Pragatisheel Naujwan (Prosperous farmers, progressive youth)’. The CM has given this slogan. We will make efforts to achieve this, despite the empty coffers we inherited,” the FM added. In his last budget speech, he was blunt, “Akaal Naal Vaah (cultivate smartly)”. This year, ₹6,256 crore has been earmarked for free power to the sector. In addition, a provision of ₹400 crore has been made under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana.
HORTICULTURE TO BE KEY AREA
The government plans to make efforts to break the wheat-paddy cycle. It targets assisting 7,000 farmers and bringing 10,000 acres cultivable area under diversification.
There shall be special focus on horticulture, marketing of produce and food processing to ensure sustainability. An allocation of ₹55 crore has been made under the National Horticulture Mission.
Disease-free potato and other vegetable seeds produced at eight government potato and vegetable seed farms, 6.5 lakh fruit plants from 23 government fruit nurseries and registered private fruit nurseries and approximately 41,500 mushroom spawn bottles shall be provided to farmers.
The government targets processing 80,000-kg fruit at six departmental fruit preservation laboratories.
There are plans to spend ₹750 crore on a special project to improve agricultural marketing infrastructure. Details were not revealed.
No farm body or expert has come forward to offered a critical view of the allocation to agriculture.
OPPOSITION REBUTS PRO-FARMER CLAIM
Claiming that the state government had failed to disburse ₹1,500 crore earmarked in the last year’s budget for debt relief to farmers, the opposition parties, the SAD and the AAP, challenged the finance minister’s claims of being a pro-farmer government.
“They had promised to waive off entire Rs 90,000 crore debt on the state peasantry. Now, it is being done in a piecemeal manner. This is a failure of the government,” said SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal.
GENERATION
The government proposes to install a super-critical thermal plant at Ropar, with five units each of 800 MW, improving the reliability and quality of power in the state.
The total installed capacity of the state is 13,182 MW which will rise to 13,660 MW by 2017-18.
The peak demand anticipated for the year 2018-19 is 11,705 MW, which could, therefore, be met easily. So far, there’s no allocation of funds for the proposed project.
TRANSMISSION
The construction of 16 new sub-stations is planned. Sub-stations with a load of more than 80% will be augmented or provided with additional transformers. It is envisaged that the capacity of 1,371 MVA will be added during the year.
To reduce the load on existing 66 KV transmission lines and to improve the reliability of the sub-transmission network, the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited will also construct 800-1,000 km of transmission lines at an estimated cost of Rs 450 crore.
DISTRIBUTION
It is proposed to spend ₹900 crore for separation of AP feeders, including those in the Kandi area, and strengthening the distribution system in urban and rural areas. This will also increase efficiency of the power sector in the state.
ANNOUNCEMENT FOR BATHINDA PLANT DRAWS OPPOSITION IRE
The government announced that it was exploring the feasibility of setting up of a gas-based power plant and a 100 MW solar plant in a part of Bathinda thermal plant.
The plant shutdown on January 1 and employees are still protesting against the decision. The area vacated is prime land in the heart of Bathinda city.
“Is he (Manpreet) a fool,” said former deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal after the announcement. “The land where the finance minister plans to set up solar and gas based plants is prime property. The government should plan something worthwhile there,” he said.