Largest state performing best in infrastructure, agriculture and sanitation: Punjab

On 24 November, among other bills to be introduced in the Winter Session of Parliament, the Union Cabinet approved the Agriculture Laws Repealing Bill, 2021, paving the way for repeal of three controversial agriculture laws, which have allowed farmers of the state got pleasure. objected to. About 19 percent of the country’s wheat and 12 percent of paddy are produced in Punjab’s farms. Central agencies procure 85 per cent of the produce that comes in the market, that too at the declared Minimum Support Price (MSP).

Over the years, the cotton belt in the Malwa region has seen an increase in production after years of decline in production. The area under cotton production in 2020-21 was over 500,000 hectares. A major reason for this was the MSP, which was raised to Rs 6,025 per quintal this year. Half of the produce from Punjab is procured by the central agency Cotton Corporation of India (CCI).

As an agricultural state, Punjab is blessed with many rivers flowing through it. However, a large part of the hinterland is still dependent on groundwater, where diesel and electric borewell pumps are used to irrigate fields. And here lies a big challenge before the state. The paddy crop requires 5,000 liters of water per kilogram, which itself is dependent on a continuous supply of electricity. Punjab is among the few states that still supply free electricity to farms. Ultimately, this leads to increased costs for the state government. According to RBI data, the state spends around Rs 1.5 lakh per hectare as subsidy.

The progress of Punjab in the field of agriculture is also reflected in its better infrastructure. All the villages are connected by bitumen roads. Apart from the PM Gram Sadak Yojana funds, the Mandi Board of Punjab uses the duties, taxes and levies on central procurement for construction and repair of village roads, which is around 6.5 per cent. Over the years, the state highways have also improved a lot. Punjab was one of the first states to provide electricity to every household, and the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) shows that it has almost universal coverage of drinking water. Signs of prosperity: TRAI data shows that Punjab has 1,241 mobiles for 1,000 residents, the third highest in the country.

Punjab is also rapidly improving urban sanitation. NHFS data shows that most households have proper sanitation; 96% of the schools also have toilets for girl students. The state still lacks good garbage disposal mechanisms, with only 60 percent of municipalities having one.