Consider Punjab a security case for funds, says Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal

Chandigarh, November 16

The Centre must consider Punjab as a security case and not an economic one while deciding on pushing growth and investment in states.

Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal said this during a virtual meeting attended by the Chief Ministers and/ or Finance Ministers of all states and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman last evening.

Badal pleaded Punjab’s case vociferously, arguing that Punjab’s geography should not define its future, nor should the events of 1947, 1962, 1965, 1971 and “the decade-long period of terrorism”. “Punjab has suffered because of the incentives given to our neighbouring hill states since 2000 and had not been able to keep the growth pace with other states located next to the sea,” he contended, arguing that the Centre should immediately allot three major projects to the state — a farmers’ park, a textile park and a food park — to help the small and medium enterprises.

Badal also sought the Centre’s help to switch from the expensive thermal-based power generation to either solar or gas-based power generation. “We want to retire our coal-fired stations so that power becomes cheap and we become a viable investment destination,” he said. — TNS