Shimla, Feb. 17 -- Stepping up its protest over the discontinuation of the Revenue Deficit Grant (RDG), a crucial funding lifeline for the states with low revenue resources, the ruling Congress is preparing to take the issue to New Delhi.
Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu is all set to lead his entire Cabinet to New Delhi to meet Leader of the Opposition (LoP) and senior party leader Rahul Gandhi and party president Mallikarjun Kharge, seeking the Congress' high command's backing for its fight against "injustice" meted out to Himachal Pradesh.
The move comes in light of the state government's futile bid to take the support of the BJP in raising the matter of stopping RDG with the Central government and seeking intervention from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue.
The Chief Minister said the discontinuation of RDG, which is "constitutionally mandated" for Himachal Pradesh, has hit the state severely as it was perpetually dependent on the Centre's hand-holding ever since it was given the status of a full-fledged state.
The state's total income, from all sources, including Central taxes and borrowing, is Rs 42,000 cr per annum, while the expenditures are Rs 48,000 crore.
"When the state was created, the Centre knew that Himachal Pradesh was not a financially viable state, but to meet the political aspirations of the hill people living in remote valleys and topographically challenging terrains. But by abruptly stopping the RDG and not suggesting any way out to meet the committed liabilities and maintain growth, the centre had simply left the state in a lurch," he alleged.
"The RDG constituted more than 12.7 per cent of the state's budget funding. Himachal Pradesh, after Nagaland, is a state where RDG forms the second-highest funding. We can't be compared with the rest of the Indian states, where the grant has been withdrawn. It is the lifeline for the state," claims Rajesh Dharmani, minister for Technical Education and TCP.
Earlier in the day, the Chief Minister said in the Assembly that his government was prepared to escalate the fight, including meeting the Prime Minister and seeking broader political support, as the BJP is not willing to cooperate with the government.
Sukhu insists that the issue goes beyond party lines and affects the welfare of around 75 lakh residents of Himachal Pradesh. Thus, he had chosen to take the backing of the party's high command and apprise Rahul Gandhi about the serious impact on the state's economy.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.