Himachal CM seeks higher allocation of funds for central schemes

New Delhi, May 24 (IANS) Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Saturday emphasised upon special needs of the hill states and said they should be considered for higher allocation of funds by relaxing eligibility criteria in central schemes.

Speaking at the 10th governing council meeting of Niti Aayog here, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Chief Minister demanded the release of funds due to the state, which have been pending for a long time. “If the long pending dues are released by the Centre well in time, Himachal Pradesh will itself become self-reliant,” he said. The Chief Minister elaborated on the state government's vision to bring the state to the most favourite tourist destination on the tourism map of the country.

“The government envisions a compact package for tourism promotion which includes and will integrate religious tourism, eco tourism, water tourism, nature tourism, health tourism, etc, which can attract all kinds of tourists from the country as well as from abroad. We are also expanding the Kangra airport to facilitate the landing of the larger planes, which will add to the economy of the region as footfall of tourists will increase manifold,” he said.

He pleaded about state's rights in hydropower projects and raised the issue of free royalty and handing over the projects under public sector undertakings (PSUs) and central public sector undertakings (CPSUs), which had completed 40 years. The Chief Minister raised the matter of royalty aligned with the state government’s energy policy. He outlined the policy, which mandates 12 per cent royalty for the first 12 years, 18 per cent for the subsequent 18 years and 30 per cent for the next 10 years in the power projects.

He said private companies already comply with this policy and emphasised that central PSUs should also follow it. The Chief Minister also informed that Himachal Pradesh is the “lungs of northern India” and has contributed a lot to preserving the green cover, and added that the state should get a Green Bonus for protecting the environment.

The state government has set a target to make Himachal Pradesh a Green Energy state by March 31, 2026. “In the coming years, Himachal Pradesh will become a pioneering state in green hydrogen production in the country. A one-megawatt capacity green hydrogen plant is being set up in the Solan district in collaboration with Oil India Limited,” he added.

--IANS

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