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Kuldeep Chauhan
Lawmakers, experts and NGOs from Himalayan states have raised serious concern over the “depleting sources of livelihoods and a lack of entrepreneurship”. These two major factors of climate change threaten the Himalayan region of the country. To mitigate climate change effects, the youth and entrepreneurs can play the leading role of game changers for the sustained development of the region, they say.
The Central Government is showing urgency to address the issues of climate change and the depletion of the ice cap and glaciers, as a water crisis looms in big cities, from Delhi to Varanasi. The five working groups have prepared a roadmap for an action plan to address these issues in 10 Himalayan states.
Chief Ministers’ conclave
The Integrated Mountain Initiative (IMI), a civil society group, organised the Chief Ministers Conclave in Shimla last year, followed by another event at Mussoorie this year and a meet of MPs and legislators in Shillong this month to give a push to the common issues of the Himalayan states, including Himachal.
Hill people have small landholdings that have made it difficult for them to make a sustainable living from horticulture, floriculture and tourism. They face natural calamities, ill-effects of climate change, and man-animal conflicts. They have low technical knowledge and lack marketing and value chain infrastructure, IMI experts say.
They say that these states are the provider of large volumes of ecological services to the rest of the country. “So, we appeal to the 15th Finance Commission to provide these states with revenue-deficit grants to bridge the gap between revenue and expenditure,” says Sushil Ramola, IMI president.
The Himalayan states got the first big push for a “package of special grants” from the Central Government during the conclave of the Chief Ministers held at Mussoorie on July 28 last year. But these states await the Central Government’s response to this.
It was for the first time that Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Chairperson of 15th Finance Commission NK Singh, Vice-Chairperson of NITI Aayog Rajiv Kumar, Prime Minister’s Additional Principal Secretary PK Mishra, NITI Aayog member VK Sarasvat, besides the Chief Ministers of the Himalayan states, including Jai Ram Thakur and Trivendra Singh Rawat of Uttarakhand, participated.
“The IMI has recommended to the15th Finance Commission and the NITI Aayog for special grants for the Himalayan states,” says Ramola. The IMI organises conclaves in the hill states, bringing all stakeholders together on one platform.
During the 2018 Shimla conclave, the hill states had batted for a separate ministry for Himalayan states. The NITI Aayog constituted the Himalayan State Regional Council (HSRC) in November 2018, but not even one meeting had been held so far, say IMI members.
The 15th Finance Commission must continue to give the ‘special category status’ to the Himalayan states, says Ramola. They have a weak resource base and low fiscal capacity and expenditure mounts on all services to citizens. These states should get 7.5 per cent grant, he adds.
The IMI says that the Central Government should set up three separate funds – for the rehabilitation of disaster affected villagers, recovery and reconstruction, and earthquake risk reduction — as these states fall in the seismic zone IV and V.
Himachal alone suffers damages to the tune of Rs 1,000 crore to its infrastructure due to heavy rains and flash floods every year. But the norms of relief under the SDRF are inadequate and need to be changed to reflect the ground reality in the hilly areas, says Ramesh Negi, vice-president of IMI.
On the recommendation of the states, the Central Government has declared hydropower as a renewable source of energy, considering that these states have the power potential of 115,000 MW, which remains mostly untapped.
Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur has sought a common hydropower policy for the Himalayan states so that they do not have to compete with each other. This can help in tapping resources to improve the economic condition of the hill people, he has said.
Shillong meet
The legislators at the recent meet in Shillong organised by the IMI urged the Central Government and the states to make efforts to find alternative sustainable livelihoods for hill people, who are reeling under climate change. Environment education should be added to the school and college curriculums and the data and micro-data should be shared and used for shaping policy initiatives, the lawmakers had said.
Though no one from Himachal attended the Shillong meet, the members raised several critical issues of concern with regard to the future of livelihoods and entrepreneurship factoring in climate change. The MPs acknowledged the need for sustained and integrated efforts to address the key issues of the Himalaya region. They highlighted that the “youth and entrepreneurs will have an active role to play to make a cut in finding alternatives for a better future”.
Challenges in hills
Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are facing the challenges of forest fires, landslides and soil erosion, man-animal conflicts and migration of people to cities (mainly in Uttarakhand) for jobs. But the main worry for the northeast is Jhum cultivation and landslides. “It was agreed at the meet that the hill states need to balance traditional livelihoods with the ecology,” says the IMI.
“For this, the general public, bureaucracy and politicians need to be sensitised on the issues of climate change and on the ways in which the legislators can use policy instruments to minimise the impact of climate change,” the IMI adds.
Ramola says that the Shillong meet brought together legislators from the hill states to deliberate on and examine the key policy measures, highlighting the issues from their vantage point.
Member of Parliament from Tura Agatha Sangma, who convened the meet, said that the MPs should share knowledge, and scale up the best practices for tackling the common issues of the Himalayan region.
Shillong MP Vincent Pala, who co-chaired the meet, said that the legislators could make a huge difference if they empowered themselves by upgrading knowledge and finding sustainable solutions through collaborative efforts.
Ramesh Negi says that the meet was co-chaired by PD Rai, former Lok Sabha MP from Sikkim. MPs, and MLAs from Meghalaya, Uttarakhand, Ladakh, Sikkim, Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram, and Tripura took part in deliberations. The next meet will be held in Uttarakhand.
Special grants recommended
Why special funds
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