Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu says the state’s major hydropower sector has seen massive investment and there is a need to increase its royalty share in power projects. , Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
more than six months in power in Himachal Pradesh, Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu He claimed that the state has been deprived of its legitimate rights from the very beginning, and that the Congress government intends to resolve on priority the long-standing issues relating to its rights with neighboring states, which have been pending for several years. pending for years.
in an exclusive interview with HinduMr Sukhu says his government inherited a debt of over Rs 75,000 crore from the previous Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government. To revive the economy, the government is focusing on harnessing hydro, hydrogen and solar energy resources, besides following fiscal discipline.
put an end to speculation about cabinet expansionHe says that all the three vacant posts in his cabinet will be filled soon, for which discussions have been completed and approval of the ‘high command’ is awaited.
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What have been the achievements of the new Congress government headed by you in Himachal Pradesh so far?
Our biggest achievement is the restoration of the old pension scheme [OPS], which was one of the major promises made by the Congress in the 2022 assembly elections. Despite the legacy debt of the previous BJP government of over ₹75,000 crore, we decided to implement the OPS. The purpose of giving OPS was not political, the elections were over and we could have implemented it in our five year tenure if we wanted, but we immediately restored OPS keeping in mind the social and humanitarian aspects.
You have demanded the share of Himachal Pradesh in the Union TerritoryChandigarh, but Punjab has rejected your claim. What is your reaction?
We are not demanding anything from Punjab. in fact they [Punjab] There is nothing to give; We do not want an inch of land from Punjab. What we are asking is that the Government of India secure our legitimate right over the Union Territory of Chandigarh. As per the Punjab Reorganization Act, 1966, Himachal Pradesh is entitled to 7.19% share in Chandigarh. Himachal Pradesh has been denied this right, which is a grave injustice to the people here. Political comments of politicians in Punjab cannot change the law, it can only fulfill their political aspirations. We want to solve all the long standing issues [our] rights with neighboring states, which have been deferred for many years.
Controversy is going on in Punjab and Haryana Water-sharing through Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal, In this background, the Chief Minister of Haryana, Manohar Lal approached you to take the water of SYL canal to Haryana via Himachal. What is progress?
I recently met the Chief Minister of Haryana and during the meeting Mr. Manohar Lal said that Haryana is willing to bring river water from Himachal and is ready to invest. I told him that drinking water is considered a virtue in the Hindu tradition. You invest and take water, we have no problem in giving water, we are all citizens of India. If needed, we are ready to give water not only to Haryana but also to Delhi. As far as the concern raised by Punjab that it is a littoral state and Haryana does not have rights to the waters of the Sutlej River, I firmly believe that citizens of India have rights everywhere. Politics should not be done on those issues which harm the states as well as the country.
“Over the years, the state has witnessed lack of investment where its natural resources were exploited [and] The state did not get fair reward for its raw material.”Sukhwinder Singh SukhuChief Minister of Himachal Pradesh
Himachal has recently imposed a cess on water withdrawn for hydropower generation, which has been opposed by Punjab and Haryana. What do you have to say?
water cess Not imposed on Punjab or Haryana. No cess has been levied on downstream river water in any state. There are about 172 hydroelectric projects in Himachal, and they have built dams, we have imposed a cess on the water in these dams, which is being used to generate electricity (electricity). The Chief Ministers of both Punjab and Haryana should not oppose this move.
Himachal is asking Punjab to hand it over Shanan Hydroelectric ProjectWhich is located in Himachal, but Punjab is denying it. What do you have to say?
The 99-year-old lease of the Shanan Hydroelectric Project located in Jogindernagar expires in March 2024, so Punjab will have no claim on that property. The ownership of the Shanan project is not with the Government of Punjab as it was given on lease only to the Government of Punjab. I have informed the central government about all the issues related to ownership. Being the elder brother, Punjab should hand over the Shanan project to Himachal Pradesh.
Read this also | ,long running dispute‘For the history of the feud between Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana
look | Who is Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu
Himachal Pradesh is facing financial crisis, what is your revival plan?
To revive the economy, we have brought a plan-based state budget, which includes new measures to generate revenue. We aim to harness hydro, hydrogen and solar energy to make Himachal a green energy state and link it with employment generation. Over the years, the state has seen a severe lack of investment where its natural resources have been exploited [and] The state did not get proper reward for its raw material.
There are two major sectors in Himachal – Hydropower and sightseeing, In hydropower, there is a huge investment drain, water is a raw material and electricity [electricity] There is a finished product, and we should get good royalty, which we are deprived of. In the mid-1990s, we started getting 12% free power royalty share in power projects; This stock needs to go up. All projects that have received payment [debt period] Royalty share should be increased to at least 50%.
Earlier, there was hardly any investment in the tourism sector, but now we have decided to invest in high-end tourism.
Do you have any plans to expand your cabinet?
Yes, there is a possibility of cabinet expansion in the next few days. The names have been finalized after deliberations and we are waiting for the approval of the ‘high command’. There are three ministerial vacancies in my cabinet and all of them will be filled in one go very soon.