Uttarakhand placed a demand for special grant in the form of Green Bonus before the 16th Finance Commission in view of the conservation and proper management of more than 71 percent of forest areas and the ban on development activities due to environmental restrictions due to this. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that the standard of forest cover should be increased to 20 percent in deciding the state’s share in central taxes. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, in a meeting with the Chairman of the 16th Finance Commission Dr. Arvind Panagariya and other members at the Secretariat on Monday, presented the state’s stand in detail on the financial conditions, challenges and development needs of the state. Due to forest conservation, Uttarakhand’s environmental service cost is high. In view of the spirit of environmental federalism, the state should get compensation. The Chief Minister said that the state’s dependence on external loans increased in developing the infrastructure, but in 25 years the state has made remarkable progress in various sectors as well as financial management. On the basis of development standards, many achievements have come to the state’s account. At the same time, the size of the budget has crossed one lakh crore rupees. Difficulties increased due to the end of the industrial package. The Chief Minister also raised the issue of difficulties being faced by the state after the end of the industrial package in the year 2010. He said that due to difficult geographical conditions and other practical difficulties, the participation of the private sector in education and health in the hilly areas is very limited. Special budget provisions have to be made for these areas. Mentioning the state being very sensitive to natural disasters, he said that the state needs continuous financial support for relief and rehabilitation work.
Referring to SARA established to revive water sources and Bhagirath App to ensure participation of common citizens, the Chief Minister requested to consider special grants. He stressed on giving assistance to the state in view of the additional pressure on the state’s infrastructure due to the floating population in the pilgrimage to pilgrimage sites including Chardham Yatra.
The commission has to submit the report by October 31
The Chairman of the 16th Finance Commission, Dr. Arvind Panagariya said that in view of the adverse geographical conditions, the challenges faced by Uttarakhand and other hill states will be discussed at a wide level to resolve them. He said that the commission has a target to make its report available to the central government by October 31, 2025.
Earlier in the meeting, Chief Minister Dhami welcomed the Chairman of the Commission, Dr. Panagariya, along with other members Anne George Mathew, Dr. Manoj Panda, Dr. Soumya Kanti Ghosh, Secretary Ritwik Pandey, Joint Secretary KK Mishra on their arrival in the state in the silver jubilee year of the establishment of Uttarakhand state. Finance Secretary Dilip Jawalkar made a detailed presentation on various challenges of the state.
