Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur today demand the increase of import duty on apples from 50 percent to 100 percent to protect Himachal Apple industry and the livelihood of 2.5 lakh families. The Centre should declare Rs 3000 crore Green Airport Mandi as a project of national importance and be included in the union budget. The Centre should also give a special interest free grant of Rs 600 crore to Himachal, he demanded.
Chief Minister raised these issues along other pending issues with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in a pre-Budget meeting for 2022-23 in New Delhi today. He thanked her for according approval to the proposals of about Rs. 10,620 crore of various externally aided projects in Himachal Pradesh during the last four years.
Though the issue of increase of import duties on apple to 100 per cent has been raised time to time around the election time by the various governments, but with no success as various lobbies of importers oppose it pleading that this amount to violation of the WTO agreement.
The apple farmers on the other hand have been demanding Rs 62, Rs 45 and Rs 25 per kg as MSP for apple to support the apple farmers the way the Centre has done for the apple farmers of Jammu and Kashmir.
pleading the case of the farmers, Thakur said the apple is the main horticultural crop of the state which is also the primary source of the livelihood of large population. “However, due to a large influx of the imported apples in the national market, prices of the Himachal Apple had fallen sharply, leading to revenue losses of the horticulturists of the state”.
Therefore import duty should be increased and apple crop should be excluded from the list of fruits and other commodities brought under Open General Licence (OGL), he demanded.
Chief Minister said the Finance Ministry was continuously providing generous financial assistance to the state. The interest free loan of Rs. 400 crore was sanctioned for the development of infrastructure in the state during this financial year and an additional Rs. 600 crore may be provided in the form of special assistance, he said.
The Green airport in Mandi is Jai Ram Thakur's major project that he has been pursuing with vigour day and night with the centre to create a political niche in Himachal.
He said in the meeting that the Airport Authority of India (AAI) has found the site suitable for construction of Green Field Airport in Mandi district and has also accorded its final technical go-ahead. Therefore, this project worth Rs 3000 crore may be included in the upcoming Union budget, he said.
He demanded that proposed airport be declared as a project of national importance as airport is of strategic importance, as it is in close proximity with forward areas of Leh.
Jai Ram Thakur said the modes of rail and air connectivity were very limited in the state and three existing airports of Shimla, Kullu and Kangra have small runways making them suitable only for operating small planes and therefore Mandi Airport was the need of the hour.
He demanded the extension of Goods and Services Tax (GST) compensation facility for the next three years. Himachal Pradesh is a hilly state having tough topographical conditions. The state was receiving GST compensation and Revenue Deficit Grant (RDG) as a part of the central assistance and out of this GST compensation is effective only till June 2022.
Moreover RDG will also be reduced in the coming years as per the recommendations of the 15th Finance commission, which will adversely affect the finances of the State Government. Therefore the GST compensation facility should continue, he said.
Chief Minister also urged to extend the industrial development policy-2017 for the next five Years in order to boost the economic growth in the state. After the Global Investor's Meet-2019, many industrial units have shown interest for setting up units in the state and the investment of approximately Rs. 97,000 crore is expected.
The industrial development policy being implemented by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry would be effective only till 31 March 2022 which should be extended further so as to promote industrial development in the state.
Jai Ram Thakur also requested the Union Finance Minister to provide a special grant for the maintenance and repair of the roads and bridges under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana.
He said that during this monsoon season, road infrastructure had been heavily damaged due to rains, floods, cloudburst, landslides in the state and the total loss was about Rs. 1100 crore. The assistance provided for the disaster management under SDRF is not sufficient as these funds are also being allocated for combating Covid-19 pandemic.
Chief Minister demanded to continue further the Ways and Means Advances limit to compensate for the decrease in revenues of the state due to Covid-19, as this will help the state in continuing its development activities.
Additional Chief Secretary, Finance Prabodh Saxena and Advisor to the Chief Minister Dr. R. N. Batta were also present in the meeting.
