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Challenges and Prospects for Punjab's Border Area Development

This presentation discusses the problems and potential solutions for the development of border areas in Punjab, focusing on issues such as border fence, education, technical education, healthcare, and animal husbandry.

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Challenges and Prospects for Punjab's Border Area Development

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  1. Special Problems and Prospects for the Development of Border Areas of PunjabPresentation before 13th Finance Commission Department of Planning, Punjab5th April 2008

  2. INTRODUCTION • Punjab is among the 17 border states of India. • 4 districts, 18 blocks of the state are on the Pakistan border. • 1837 villages and 10 towns. Rural population – 19.55 lac, Urban population – 4.01 lac. • Total border length of the state - 553 km

  3. BORDER AREA DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME • BADP – is a 100% Centrally Assisted Programme. • Border Block is the basic unit of BADP. • A block touching the international border is a border block. • As per GoI guidelines, 18 Blocks are border blocks and covered under BADP. • Priority to rural blocks. However, there is no bar on spending BADP funds in towns in the border blocks.

  4. BORDER AREA DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME

  5. GURDASPUR • District- Gurdaspur • Total Blocks-16 • BADP Blocks-7 • Population- • Total - 21,04,011 • BADP Blocks-5,86,239 • Area (in sq km)- • Total -3564 • BADP Blocks -1288

  6. AMRITSAR • District- Amritsar • Total Blocks-8 • BADP Blocks-2 • Population- • Total - 21,57,020 • BADP Blocks-2,62,168 • Area (in sq km)- • Total -2682 • BADP Blocks -837

  7. TARN TARAN • District- Tarn Taran • Total Blocks-8 • BADP Blocks-3 • Population- • Total - 9,39,057 • BADP Blocks-3,13,007 • Area (in sq km)- • Total -2414 • BADP Blocks -1006

  8. FEROZEPUR • District- Ferozepur • Total Blocks-10 • BADP Blocks-6 • Population- • Total - 17,46,107 • BADP Blocks-7,94,016 • Area (in sq km)- • Total -5303 • BADP Blocks -3066

  9. FUNDING UNDER BADP The allotment of funds to the States and within States to the districts is based on – (a) length of international border; (b) population of border blocks & (c) areas of Border Blocks

  10. FUNDING UNDER BADP

  11. PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS

  12. BORDER FENCE • GOI erected Barbed Wire Fence along 553 km long border. • 18500 acres of fertile, cultivable land now across border fence. • Numerous hardships being faced by farmers and their families on account of security restrictions imposed by BSF. • Leads to sub-optimal farm production.

  13. PAK International Border International Border Farming up to zero line on both sides INDIA

  14. PAK International Border INDIA

  15. CHECKING/FRISKING OF KISSAN

  16. CHECKING/FRISKING OF WOMEN

  17. PROPOSED FABRICATED LAV BLOCK IN FRONT OF FENCE GATES

  18. Kuccha Border link road proposed to be constructed

  19. BORDER FENCE • Demand that Border Fence be shifted close to Zero Line. • Annual compensation of Rs. 10,000/- per acre to offset potential productivity crop loss. • BSF demands special package of Rs. 65 crore for improving surveillance and improved connectivity of border areas. • Deployment of female security staff, rest rooms etc.

  20. EDUCATION • Literacy rates in border blocks much lower than state average, especially in Tarn Taran and Ferozepur districts. • Against the state average of 66.90 the literacy rate is only 54.86 % in Ajnala, 54.19 % in Bhikiwind, 41.96 % in Valtoha. The literacy varies from 49 to 57 % in all the border blocks of Ferozepur district. • The coverage of Senior Secondary Schools especially science schools is much less in the border belt as compared to the other districts of the State.

  21. EDUCATION • A sum of Rs. 127 crore is required for strengthening the infrastructure in school education in the border belt comprising of repair and renovation of schools, a new DIET and upgradation of science laboratories. • There are no Government colleges in the 12 out of 18 border blocks. A sum of Rs. 60 crore is required for these colleges.

  22. TECHNICAL EDUCATION • The border belt is devoid of adequate number of technical institutions. • There are 2 Polytechnics at Ferozepur and Bhikhiwind (Tarn Taran) out of the 18 border blocks in the State. There is a need for 7 more polytechnics at a cost of Rs. 245 crore. • Similarly 9 more ITIs are required (Rs. 45 crore) in the border blocks. Another sum of Rs. 23 crore is required for renovation and upgradation of existing ITIs is in border blocks.

  23. HEALTH • The existing health infrastructure in the border blocks is inadequate and not at par with other districts of the State and the standard norm. • 4 new CHC, 11 PHC and 54 Sub-Centres are required to be constructed at a cost of Rs. 35.56 crore. • There is a need to provide one mobile diagnostic van fitted with medical equipment in each of the 18 border blocks @ of Rs. 38 lac per van at a cost of Rs. 6.84 crore.

  24. HEALTH • Consumption of drugs is quite wide spread in the border belt. State Government is going to start Drug De-addiction centres in each of the 4 civil hospitals at a cost of Rs. 2 crore.

  25. ANIMAL HUSBANDRY • Dairying is moving from an ancillary activity of farming to an independent self sustaining occupation. • Existing Veterinary hospitals require major renovation. A sum of Rs. 2.5 crore is required. For Fisheries, a sum of Rs. 3.06 crore is required for converting 180 village ponds into fisheries ponds.

  26. ANIMAL HUSBANDRY • State Government has established a separate university for animal sciences at Ludhiana. There is a proposal to set up one campus of this university in the border belt preferably at Amritsar at a cost of Rs. 50 crore. • There is also a requirement of starting a Model Hightech Dairy Training Centre in Ferozepur at a cost of Rs. 3 crore.

  27. WATER SUPPLY AND SANITATION • There are 1744 habitations in 18 border blocks, out of which 436 habitations are not covered. Proposals for 334 habitations have been prepared under World Bank and ARWSP leaving 102 habitations for which a sum of Rs. 25.76 crore is required. • Besides a sum of Rs. 29.54 crore is required for upgrading the existing water supply schemes.

  28. WATER SUPPLY AND SANITATION • The State Government released a sum of Rs. 180 crore for providing individual toilets in the rural areas at the cost of Rs. 6500/- per unit. As of now 101662 more toilets are required in the border blocks for which a sum of Rs. 72 crore is requested.

  29. MUNICIPAL TOWNS • Due to inadequate allocation of BADP funds and limited income of Municipal Committees in the border belt the infrastructure in towns has not received the requisite attention. • The State Government has separately submitted a package of Rs. 91.13 crore to MHA for providing basic infrastructure – water supply, sewerage, construction of roads and streets, slum improvement and drains. • The town wise details are -

  30. INDUSTRY & COMMERCE • Industry in the four border districts has been adversely affected by prolonged militancy, disturbances on the border and poor connectivity. • The State has put forward the following suggestions/requests to the Government of India for reviving industry in the border belt : • Grant of concessions to the Industry in the four border districts on the pattern of concession granted to the neighbouring States of Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.

  31. INDUSTRY & COMMERCE • Extension of Kolkata (Mumbai) Delhi Rail Freight Corridor to Amritsar. (Already agreed upto Ludhiana) • Extension of Mumbai Delhi Industrial Corridor (MDIC) to Ludhiana and Amritsar. • Indo-Pak Trade : GoI is upgrading the infrastructure at the Attari railway station (Rs. 19 crore project) and the Attari ICP on National Highway - 1 (Rs. 87 crore project). Amritsar – Attari National Highway leading to Pakistan is being 4 laned.

  32. INDUSTRY & COMMERCE • These measures will be of no consequence unless some policy changes are made. As on today 1812 items are tradable with Pakistan. However, only a handful of items about 18 to 20 comprising mainly vegetable, meat, steel etc. are allowed to be routed through the Road/ Rail network. The expansion of this list and opening of Hussainiwala Border in Ferozepur can give a tremendous boost to development in the border belt.

  33. ROADS • The Border Roads Development Board (BRDB) does not maintain any road network in the State. All the roads – village links and other important roads have been constructed and maintained by the State Government. • Most of the roads in the border belt are also used by BSF and Army for their operational duty and exercises.

  34. ROADS • There is a need to upgrade such roads and provide increased funds. PM during his visit to Amritsar in December 2006 announced a special package of about Rs. 200 crore for upgrading the road network in the border belt. The money is yet to be received under PMGSY. • The State Government requires another sum of Rs. 195 crore for construction / upgradation of roads (Rs. 161 crore) and bridges (Rs. 34 crore) in the border belt. • There is a need to earmark funds for upgrading and repair of roads on regular basis.

  35. RAILWAYS • There is no rail link between Amritsar and Ferozepur district. At present the rail connection is through Jalandhar. • Railways have been requested for a 37 km rail link between Rattoke (Amritsar-Khemkaran) and Mallanwala (Jalandhar-Ferozepur) for connecting these two districts. This link will reduce the rail journey between Punjab and Gujarat and Maharashtra which are vital to business destinations.

  36. IRRIGATION • Border belt is on the tail end of the canal network. Some of the border blocks are flood prone on account of river Ravi and Sutlej. • There is a need to renovate and lining of the canals. Besides funds are required for remodeling of bridges on the canals. The total estimated cost is Rs. 172 crore. • There is a requirement of Rs. 206 crore for construction of flood protection embankments and VR bridges on the drains. • It is requested that about Rs. 50 crore or so be provided every year for these works in the border belt.

  37. POWER • PSEB has formulated a scheme of Rs. 300 cr. for upgrading the power infrastructure in border blocks. • It comprises of conversion of LT lines to 11 KV lines in all the blocks and new sub stations.

  38. EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES • Agriculture • Setting of Integrated Farmers Training Centres for bridging the knowledge gap in the field of agriculture, dairying and other allied activities (4) – Rs. 20 crore.

  39. EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES • Agricultural Machinery Service Centres : Providing farm equipment on hire basis to poor and marginal farmers. Cost of 55 centres @ of Rs. 10 lac per centre is Rs. 5.5 crore. • As mentioned above, new Dairy Training Institute and Polytechnic & ITI’s will be of great help to the youth in the border belt.

  40. SUMMARY OF PROPOSALS

  41. To Conclude • The border areas are generally lagging in infrastructure as compared to the other parts in the state. • The problems require special consideration by the Finance Commission. • State Government requested the 12th FC for giving weightage to the problems of the border area. • Requirement of about Rs. 350.00 cr every year for the next five years.

  42. Thanks

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