Excelsior Correspondent
NEW DELHI, July 18 : Replying to a Private Member’s Resolution seeking creation of a new Ministry for development of Himalayan States, Dr Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, MoS in Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Space & Atomic Energy, stated in the Lok Sabha today that Government is committed to ensure sustainable development of the Himalayan States which include Jammu and Kashmir, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Uttarakhand and Tripura.
Dr Jitendra Singh said that these States have been given special category status by National Development Council (NDC) considering their hilly terrain, low population density, strategic location along borders, economic-cum-social backwardness and non viable nature of state finances. The importance that the present Government gives to these States is evident from the fact that the Budget presented by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley provides Rs.100 crore in 2014-15 for setting up of a National Centre for Himalayan States, he observed.
Dr Jitendra Singh further informed that as special category status, the Himalayan States get a number of benefits in central plan assistance which are more in comparison to general category status. Similarly, for many Centrally Sponsored Schemes also, the requirement of states’ share / contribution is at a lower level in comparison to general category status, he added.
Referring to the long International Border along these States, Dr Jitendra Singh said that the areas with International Borders are covered by Border Area Development Programme (BADP) to ensure balanced development of infrastructure and promotion of a sense of security.
He stated that the Government is equally concerned about the preservation of eco-system of these States, for which the National Mission for Sustaining Himalayan Eco-system has been launched under the National Action Plan for Climate Change.
Concluding his reply, Dr Jitendra Singh acknowledged the specific requirements of these States including geographical and geological peculiarities, susceptibility to natural disasters and economic constraints, for which the Government will always be giving special attention to these States but he added, the creation of a new Ministry to exclusively deal with Himalayan States may not be a viable option for the time being.
Satisfied with the Minister’s reply, Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, MP and former Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, who had moved the resolution, agreed to withdraw the same.
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