HP: After water cess, CM proposes ‘cow cess’ on liquor
Shimla: With his biggest focus on green energy, and developing Himachal Pradesh as a model state for electric vehicles, CM Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu presented his maiden Rs 53,413 crore Budget in the state Assembly.
Having coined a punchline of ‘Vyvastha Parivartan’ the CM drove an electric vehicle to reach the Assembly for the presentation of the ‘Green Budget’ announcing a series of steps promoting environment protection and linking his green energy initiatives with job croreeation.
Sukhu admitted that the state’s fiscal condition was very croreitical and his government inherited a debt of Rs 75,000 crore apart from Rs 10,000 crore payable to the employees and pensions as arrears of revised salaries and DA, yet he will not let the development hit for want of funds.
He said besides levying a cess on water used by independent power producers to generate an income of Rs 4,000 crore per annum, the government will impose Rs 10 ‘Cow Cess’ on each bottle of liquor sold in the state. This will generate Rs 100 crore per annum for the state and will be used in boosting the milk economy in the state for which Rs 500 crore has been earmarked in the Budget.
To boost tourism, Sukhu said that Kangra district will be developed as the tourist capital and all 12 districts will be connected with heliport facilities in the next year.
There will be a major expansion of the Kangra airport and a Zoo to attract tourists will also be developed. There was also a golf course proposed for Kangra.
Boasting about having implemented the Old Pension Scheme in the state as promised, he said to fulfil the second major promise of providing Rs 1,500 per month to all women in the age group of 18 to 60 years, the government has decided to cover 2.31 lakh women in the first phase. The scheme will be implemented in the next five years. It will cost Rs 416 crore to the exchequer every year.
On measures to promote the state as a model for electric vehicles, he said Rs 1,000 crore has been set aside for the replacement of 1,500 diesel buses of the HRTC.
A Rs 25,000 subsidy on the purchase of electric scooters will be given to 20,000 meritorious girls attending state government schools.
Sukhu proposed a subsidy of 40 per cent for youths taking-up solar power projects between 250 KV to 2 MW on their own land or on land taken on the lease.
Six national and state highways will be developed as green corridors for electric vehicles. Private truck operators or bus operators will be provided subsidies up to 50 per cent with a maximum limit of Rs 50 lakhs to purchase e-buses and e-trucks. Subsidy up to 50 per cent will be allowed to youths proposing to set up charging centres for electric vehicles.
The CM said he will introduce a Bill to make Himachal drug-free. Those found involved in drug trafficking will be sent to jail for life.
He said 90,000 direct and indirect jobs will be croreeated during 2023-24 in the government and private sectors of which 5,000 will be in the Jal Shakti department.
Sukhu spoke about introducing Robotic surgery in the medical colleges and spending Rs 100 crore on completing new buildings of the medical colleges at Hamirpur, Nahan and Chamba.
He said the casualty departments in the medical colleges will be upgraded to emergency medicines departments. A centre of excellence for cancer care and nuclear medicines will be set up in the state at Hamirpur at a cost of Rs 50 crore.
