Punjab Newspaper

Punjab will get an additional Rs 100 crore for anti-water logging measures in the state. This would be over and above the Rs. 550 already sanctioned by NABARD for this purpose.
Centre will also immediately release Rs. 75 crore to help the state in starting its much talked about Adarsh School Scheme on schedule from the start of the next academic session.
An assurance to this effect was given by the Union Finance Minister Mr. P. Chidambram during the course of his meeting with the Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal in New Delhi this evening.
Disclosing this, Media Advisor to Chief Minister Mr. Harcharan Bains said that the centre had also agreed to give the requisite ‘advice and recommendation’ to the World Bank to enable the state to utilize “technical assistance from the international body for fighting the twin menace of falling water table as well as water logging in the state. ”
Later, Mr. Badal expressed ‘total satisfaction’ with the outcome of the meeting and thanked the Union Finance Minister for his positive response to the state’s demand. Mr. Badal said that this would help expedite work on both the Adarsh School and the anti-water-logging schemes.
According to Mr. Bins, Mr. Badal impressed upon the Union Government the need for immediate and effective measures for fighting the falling rate of growth in agricultural production in Punjab which stood at just 2% against the targeted growth of 4% per annum. The Chief Minister pointed out that ” contrary to common belief, Punjab does not have adequate surface water and, instead, is heavily dependent on ground water extraction” This, he said, had resulted in the problem of declining water table in about 128 out of 141 blocks of the state. On the other hand, he added, a large part of agricultural areas in the south western district of Ferozepur and Mukatsar had been adversely affected by water logging. “As a result, not only is the farm production declining in this ‘cotton belt’ but poverty is revisiting a major chunk of the population there”, he added.
Mr. Badal further said that enhanced NABARD funding would be used to complete the large number of measures like provision of new surface and sub surface drains, installation and rejuvenation of lift pumps, construction minor and small distributaries to divert seepage of water to deficit areas etc.
The Chief Minister also drew the Union Finance Minister’s attention to the efforts of the state government to rehabilitate and rejuvenate the canal infrastructure to ensure optimal utilization of surface water and to conserve and artificially recharge the ground water, wherever possible.
Regarding technical assistance from the World Bank, the Chief Minister said that he had raised these issues with the visiting Mission Team of the Apex Bank. It may be pointed out that the World Bank could lend this assistance only on advice from the Union Government. Mr. Chidambram said that this advice would be immediately issued.
On Adarsh School Scheme, Mr. Badal said that funds were required immediately as the state government’s efforts to ensure quality education for the poor and the intelligent children were in full steam. We are determined to revolutionize the entire educational landscape in Punjab , and for this the scheme had to begin to roll from March next year, said Mr. Badal.
During the meeting, the Chief Minister was assisted by senior Akali leader Mr. Balwinder Sigh Bhunder, Media Advisor Mr. Harcharan Bains, Principal Resident Commissioner Mrs. Anjali Chuib Duggal and the Chief Minister’s Special Principal secretary Mr. K. J. S. Cheema.