Centre releases Rs 530 cr for border area development in Punjab: Union Minister Bittu

Chandigarh, Aug 20 (PTI) Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu on Wednesday said the Narendra Modi government has released a special grant of Rs 530 crore for the development of Punjab's border areas.

He said it will accelerate infrastructure development, giving a "strong push" to Punjab's growth.

"The Modi government delivers for Punjab! Under the visionary leadership of PM Narendra Modi ji, the Central government has released a special grant of Rs 530 crore for Punjab under capital expenditure for the development of border areas.

"This step by the BJP government will accelerate infrastructure development, government buildings construction, machinery purchase, and other key projects, giving a strong push to Punjab's growth," Bittu said in a post on X.

The Punjab government has been seeking funds for border area development in six districts.

Punjab shares 553 kilometres of border with Pakistan and has six border districts -- Amritsar, Tarn-Taran, Gurdaspur, Pathankot, Ferozepur and Fazilka.

In his last meeting with NITI Aayog member Ramesh Chand in June, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had sought a special inventive package for the border districts.

Mann had said the border districts of Punjab need to be supported on the lines of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir to revitalise the state's trade and industrial sector.

The chief minister had batted for the establishment of agro food processing zones in each border district of Punjab with a special focus on basmati rice industry and horticultural produce like litchi.

The state government had also advocated the upgradation of existing focal points in border districts and establishing an exhibition-cum-convention centre at Amritsar.

The Punjab government had also sought the construction of bunkers for people living in border areas and alternate connecting routes to border villages, and emphasised the need for making border districts war resilient in the wake of the recent military conflict between India and Pakistan.

It had sought a production-linked incentive scheme for the agro sector, tax benefits for the textile sector, freight subsidy for industry and subsidised interest rate on term loans and working capital in border districts.

The government had also underscored the need for upward revision of compensation to farmers having land between the international border and border fence, asserting that more than 17,000 acres of land fall in between them. PTI CHS SUN NSD NSD