news details |
|
|
| J&K's economic reconstruction | | | Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad's latest visit to New Delhi has been
very fruitful and significant. Apart from having a 90 minutes long
meeting with the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on July 4, where
political developments in J&K as well as the security scenario in the
state were deliberated in detail, a day earlier Azad along with a team
of top state officers had a detailed meeting with the Chairman
Planning Commission of India, Mantok Singh Ahluwalia and other members
of the Commission, wherein economic reconstruction of the state was
discussed. The Chief Minister's emphasis on J&K to be treated on
separate footings, with regard to its economic reconstruction and
assistance to be provided to the state by the Centre. The Chief
Minister particularly laid stress on the state's dire need for
electric power. J&K state perhaps is only one in the country which has
this year formulated a separate budget for the power sector. The state
has been incurring heavy loss on the power sector. Besides the gap
between the cost on the purchase of electric power from the northern
grid and revenue coming from its supply to the consumers, transmission
losses and above all the theft in electricity have been the main
causes of the heavy loss to the state in the power sector. This
deficit in the power sector results in the overall heavy deficit in
the annual budget of the state. It is in this context that the Chief
Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has pleaded with the Planning Commission to
treat the power sector separately, in respect of Central assistance to
the state. The Jammu and Kashmir state, which has the highest
potential for power generation, is the worst at present in respect of
power availability, for distribution among the consumers both for
domestic purposes as well as for the industrial sector. In any
reconstruction of the state adequate availability of power is a pre
requisite. When we are trying by taking all the pains to motivate and
attract the big industrial houses from outside the state who invest in
J&K and when many entrepreneurs from various parts of the country have
come to the state to set up some industrial venture here, if power
availability is not made to them to the extent of their requirement,
all our calculations will go haywire. Further the entrepreneurs from
outside, who will be put to loss because of non optimum working of
their units, for want of electric power, will ultimately wind up their
shows here. It is in this context that the Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi
Azad has been laying special emphasis on improvement in the power
scenario in J&K. The mighty Chenab river, which has its source in high
mountains of Jammu region in the state and flows through vast areas of
the state, before it enters Pakistan, alone has the potential to
generate several thousands of mega watts of power, at different
points. Besides the other rivers as Sindh, Jehlum, Ravi, which too
flow in parts of the state have great potential for power generation.
But for doing that huge finances are required. It is in this context
that the state wants to enter into MoU with some foreign houses to
join the state in exploiting its power potential. Once the power
generation potential is exploited to its optimum level, through
various hydroelectric projects, and the state gets its due share, its
economy is bound to get a big boost.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
