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| At NDC Meet Omar seeks compensation for IWT | | ‘Implement recommendations of Working group-3’ | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
NEW DELHI, July 24: The J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today vehemently sought compensation for the state on account of the massive loss it has suffered due to provisions of Indus Water Treaty .
“My State continues to be put to untold hardships and disadvantages on account of the discriminatory provisions contained in the Indus Water Treaty. ….We have not been compensated for this loss despite the intent to do so; as expressed on several occasions”, Omar said at the National Development Council meeting at New Delhi today. He said the Working Group on the Economic Development of J&K constituted by the Prime Minister had, recommended transfer of Dul Hasti HEP (390 MW) to the State. The recommendation still remains unimplemented. I also deem it necessary to reiterate our request for the enhancement of the quantum of free power (Home State Share) available from the Central Generating Stations set up within the State, to a minimum of 25 % against the present free power of 12 percent.
Addressing the meeting Omar Abdullah highlighted the importance of time bound implementation of the recommendations of working groups to provide a viable platform for building greater stake holdership.
Appreciating progress achieved on the recommendations of the Working Group –I and II for the improvement of the condition of the people affected by militancy and for Trans Loc movement of people and goods, the Chief Minister stressed on banking and communication facilities between PoK and the State.
“We need to further build on the recommendations of the Working Group-III and the Prime Minister’s Task Force on economic development of J&K. Similarly, there is positive movement on many of the recommendations of Working Group-IV with regard to e-governance and Right to Information. The recommendations made by the Working Group-V with regard to the Centre-State relationship also calls for an informed discussion between the Centre and the State so as to move forward in a time bound manner”, he said.
Addressing the National Development Council (NDC) meeting here, Omar Abdullah highlighted the importance of time bound implementation of the recommendations of working groups to provide a viable platform for building greater stake holdership.
Appreciating progress achieved on the recommendations of the Working Group –I and II for the improvement of the condition of the people affected by militancy and for Trans Loc movement of people and goods, the Chief Minister stressed on banking and communication facilities between PoK and the State.
“We need to further build on the recommendations of the Working Group-III and the Prime Minister’s Task Force on economic development of J&K. Similarly, there is positive movement on many of the recommendations of Working Group-IV with regard to e-governance and Right to Information. The recommendations made by the Working Group-V with regard to the Centre-State relationship also calls for an informed discussion between the Centre and the State so as to move forward in a time bound manner”, he said.
On plan performance under the Eleventh Plan, Chief Minister said that first three years of the plan have led to positive gains both in the infrastructure and social sectors. He also mentioned the intervention under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan (SSA) for massive expansion and infrastructure development registered in the elementary education sector adding that literacy rate in the State has gone up from 55.50% in 2001 to 65.67% in 2008.
Omar said that the State is better than the national average in most health indicators like the birth rate, death rate, child sex ratio, institutional deliveries, breast feeding etc. “A comprehensive action plan in the health sector has been formulated for a period of five years in two phases”, he added.
Underlining private sector involvement in key sectors as of great avail in growth of the gross State domestic product, Omar Abdullah said “We shall welcome any interest in this regard from the private sector”.
He said that only recently the 690 MW Ratle Hydro Power Project has been allocated to a private player under a tariff based competitive bidding mechanism.
He said Government is working on comprehensive Public-Private Partnership Policy (PPP) framework, particularly to attract private investment in core infrastructure and social sectors. He said a sub-committee of the State cabinet is working on the PPP frame work currently.
Omar suggested that in terms of formulation of the Twelfth Five Year Plan, the most important change should be to move away from output to employment. “We need to target employment growth as a key variable and not as a derived variable. In addition to the sectoral allocations, which have to be made on employment intensity basis, we need direct interventions in sectors that hold high employment potential”, he added.
He said that agriculture and horticulture are key sectors in the economic development of States like Jammu and Kashmir as such require focused attention in the 12th Five Year Plan.
Maintaining that J&K can emerge as leader in hydro electric generation, the Chief Minister sought the Central grant of Rs. 2800 crore as special financial support to meet the equity requirement in respect of joint venture projects with NHPC and PTC. “We also request for providing financial support for implementing the turnaround plan in power transmission and distribution system worked out by TERI.
On Shahpur Kandi Barrage, Omar Abdullah said “Consequent upon Punjab, procrastinating for decades together, for providing 0.475 of gravity water into Ravi Cannal for irrigation purposes after constructing the Shahpur Kandi Barrage, our State has suffered a loss of more that Rs. 8000 crore on various counts. A link canal talking off from the upstream of Ranjit Sagar Dam near village Satwain in now proposed to be constructed by us. The construction of the ‘Link Canal’ is estimated to cost around Rs. 550 crore.
We look to the Central Government to fund this investment to compensate us in some measure for the huge loss suffered by us for no fault of ours”.
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