New Delhi, June 11 (IANS) Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu on Thursday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to constitute a high-level committee for hill states to assess the losses incurred on account of discontinuation of the Revenue Deficit Grant (RDG), damages due to natural disasters, deprivation of free power in hydropower projects and revenue losses due to the GST regime.

Speaking at the 11th Governing Council Meeting of NITI Aayog here, Sukhu said the state is contributing to the country’s growth despite limitations.

He added that the high-level committee may present a detailed report to the Government of India, so that the state may get its due share.

He said the discontinuation of RDG posed a major blow to the state’s economy, adding that Rs 25,000 crore provided to all hill states at the request of the Chief Ministers is insufficient to compensate for the loss.

He demanded that the amount be increased to Rs 50,000 crore to ensure the smooth implementation of development activities.

The Chief Minister said Himachal Pradesh “is the green frontier of the country and requires special attention from the Government of India to translate the vision of Viksit Bharat in its true letter and spirit”.

He said that Himachal Pradesh provides Rs 90,000 crore in ecological services to the country, as per a study conducted by the Indian Institute of Forest Management. However, the state is not being compensated accordingly against its contribution towards preserving ecology.

He said the state is being deprived of fair and free power for 13,000 MW of power being produced in the state, and added that arrears amounting to Rs 7,000 crore from the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) are still pending.

He also mentioned that the state bore the brunt of natural disasters and added that it still awaits the announced Rs 1,500 crore special assistance from the Centre.

Sukhu apprised that the state incurred revenue losses of Rs 25,000 crore over eight years due to the current Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime.

–IANS

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