CHANDIGARH: The economic package for various sections of society, particularly the Weaker sections, announced by the Punjab Chief Minister, Beant Singh, last week, seems to have rattled the Opposition parties, particularly the Akali Dal and the Bharatiya Janata Party. And rightly $0, Denials to the contrary notwithstanding, the package is rooted in the electoral! compulsions of the ruling party, ‘ A number of Cabinet sub commit toes were recently constituted by Beant ‘Singh and entrusted with the task to evolve a proper mix despite the fact that the elections are not that near, Last week’s economic package was the second installment of that mix. In 4 major concession earlier, the state government reduced the stamp duty from 12,5% 10 6%. The effort was to please the peasantry, though the Akalis argue that the real motive was to benefit mainly the big industrialists who plan to set up their units in the state, The proposal to enhance the land ceiling limit is also on the agenda.
Now the state government has unfolded the Rs. 550 crore economic packages for the weaker sections and also the traders. The two major components of this package include providing att a and dal to the families living below the poverty line at 502% subsidy, The income limit for determining the status of these families? Has also been raised from Rs, 11 to Rs. 18,000 per annum io bring more families under its ambit: the minimum wage has broadly boon taken as the criteria for enhancing the income limit. This will involve financial liability of Rs, 200 crore per annum. The second component is the housing. The state government will extend financial assistance 19 build 600 houses400 for Scheduled Castes and 200 for weaker sections in every Assembly constituency, The stipends for the Scheduled Caste studies have also been enhanced,
In the Punjab political matrix, the Congress is confronted by the Akalis in the rural areas who are mainly rooted in the peasantry. The Bahujan Samaj Party also has its support base in the rural areas while the BIP’s voice bank is concentrated in the urban areas. According to the permutations and combinations being worked out, the Akalis are likely to enter inio.an alliance with the BSP and the BJP to posea serious challenge other ruling party. — The Akalis on Weir own, during a normal election, are not in that strong, a position to dethrone the Congress, The intention behind the economy package is 0 woo these sections, It is not without reason that the Akalis and the BJP have mainly questioned the intention and not the economic pack.
age as such.
“The Scheduled Castes and the Backward Classes constitute about27% of the population in the state of late, the BSP has been making strong inroads in this constituency which earlier used to vote for the Congress. The economic package is mainly for this constituency.
Maintaining that the only intention of the stale government was to give benefits to all sections of the society, Beant Singh denies that the package has been announced with an eye on the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections, He also repudiates any comparison with the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, N.T. Rama Rao, who introduced the scheme to provide rice at 2 per kg.
His finance managers are presently engaged in the task of mobilizing funds for the purpose, While introducing the 199596 annual plan, the ‘state government had also unfolded a development plan of Rs. 4,677 crore lo supplement the annual’ plan of Rs.1,675 crore. The financial position of the state governments not hat light now with the Center coming to its help by waiving the special term loan totaling Rs, 5,858 crore as on March 31 last.
It is difficult to assess as to how much gain the Congress would harvest at the political level during the forthcoming elections but the package is a welcome step as part of the functioning of a welfare state.
Article extracted from this publication >> August 18, 1995
