Non Special Category States

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

MINISTRY OF  PLANNING

QUESTION NO  3938

ANSWERED ON  08.09.2011

Will the Minister of PLANNING  be pleased to satate :-


(a) whether it is a fact that out of 17 Non-special category States only Gujarat, Kerala, Maharashtra, Orissa, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand crossed the target growth rate of State Domestic Product and all other States remained far below the target, the reasons for this large scale failure;

(b) whether it is not going to widen regional economic imbalances if this trend is not contained; and

(c) the steps initiated by Government in Eleventh Plan to reduce regional economic imbalance and ensure uniform growth?
   
ANSWER
     



MINISTER OF STATE FOR PLANNING, SCIENCE & TECNOLOGY
AND EARTH SCIENCES



(DR. ASHWANI KUMAR)



(a) & (b): The Eleventh Five Year Plan (2007-12) envisaged an annual average growth rate of 9 percent in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to be achieved during the plan period. The GDP growth target was disaggregated to State specific Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) growth targets. The Eleventh Plan growth target along with achievement during first four years of the plan for 17 non- special category States are given at Annexure. The States of Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh have realised growth rate higher than the target. Other States have experienced lower growth vis a vis the target which can be attributed to global economic crisis, low growth in agriculture caused by bad monsoon, among others.


The hitherto low performing States such as Bihar, Orissa and Chhattisgarh have started growing faster than the national average and the State of Uttar Pradesh has achieved much higher than the target growth rate. This trend reflects gradual movement towards convergence in economic attainment across States and reduction in economic disparities.



(c): Reduction of inter-state disparities has always been the priority of development policy. The policy instruments for minimising the inter State disparity include plan and non-plan transfer of resources from the Centre to States favouring less developed States, tax incentives for setting up of private industries in the backward regions, etc. A number of programmes have also been initiated to reduce income disparity between States. These include Backward Regions Grant Fund (BRGF, which includes the district component covering 250 backward districts, special plan for Bihar and the KBK districts of Orissa, the Integrated Action Plan for 60 tribal and backward districts and the drought mitigation package for Bundelkhand), Hill Area Development Programme/Western Ghats Development Programme and Border Area Development Programme, etc. In addition, several ongoing Centrally Sponsored Schemes and State specific schemes during the Eleventh Plan are expected to accelerate the growth rate of GSDP of various States.

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Supply Of Quality Fertilizers

MINISTRY OF  CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS

UNSTARRED

QUESTION NO . 3382

ANSWERED ON 27.08.2010

Will the Minister of CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS be pleased to satate :-

(a) the national policy on supply of quality fertilizers to farmers;

(b) the annual requirement of fertilizers and reasons for short supply;

(c) the quantum of fertilizers imported during last five years and their value;

(d) the details of subsidies extended on fertilizers for the last five years, year-wise, and whether Government is planning to scale down these subsidies;

(e) whether Government is aware of smuggling of fertilizers from India to neighbouring countries;

(f) if so, details thereof and measures taken to curb the same; and (g) the measures taken by Government to encourage utilization of bio-fertilizers in place of chemical fertilizers?

ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF CHEMICALS & FERTILIZERS
(SHRI SRIKANT KUMAR JENA) 

(a): Government of India has declared fertilizer as an essential commodity under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 and has notified Fertilizer Control Order, 1985 under the said Act. The quality of fertilizers is regulated under the Fertilizer Control Order,1985. As per the provision of the Fertilizer Control Order, 1985, fertilizers, which meet the standard of quality laid down in the order can only be sold to the farmers. The State Governments are adequately empowered to take appropriate action against the sellers of non-standard fertilizers. The penal provision includes prosecution of offenders and sentence if convicted up to seven years imprisonment under the ECA, 1955 besides cancellation of authorization certificate and other administrative action. There are 71 fertilizer testing laboratories including four laboratories of the Government of India at Faridabad, Kalyani, Mumbai and Chennai with an annual analyzing capacity of 1.34 lakh samples. During the year 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09, the percentage of samples of fertilizers declared non-standard at all India level were 6.0%, 6.2% and 5.5% respectively.

(b): The requirement of major fertilizers for each crop season is assessed by the Department of Agriculture & Cooperation (DAC) in consultation with the Agriculture Departments of State Governments. For the current Kharif season (April`10 to September`10), the DAC has assessed requirement of 136.64 LMT of Urea, 68.74 LMT of DAP. 22.98 LMT of MOP and 48.69 LMT of complex fertilizers. Urea is the only fertilizer under partial movement, distribution and statutory price control of Government of India. It is imported for direct agriculture use on Government account through State Trading Enterprises (STEs) i.e. MMTC, STC and IPL to fill up the gap between the assessed requirement and indigenous production of Urea. All other fertilizers viz. DAP, MOP, SSP
and NPK etc. are decontrolled/ de-canalized since 1992 and are imported under Open General Licence (OGL). The companies import these fertilizers as per the requirement projected by Department of Agriculture & Cooperation. Government is paying subsidy on these fertilizers under Nutrient Based Subsidy policy. Union Government monitors availability of fertilizers at State level and State Governments are responsible for further distribution within the State. The State-wise requirement (demand), availability and sales of fertilizers during the years 2010-11 (April to July) is at Annexe. As can be seen, the availability of fertilizers is adequate. (c): The year wise import of Urea, DAP & MOP during the last five years 

(d): Fertilizers are provided to the farmers in the States at subsidized rates. Expenditure  on fertilizer subsidy in the last five years

Under the Nutrient Based Subsidy Policy (NBS), subsidy for indigenous and imported P&K fertilizers has been announced for 2010-11 based on the prevailing prices and price trends of fertilizers in the International market. Subsidy for indigenous urea is provided based on the New Price Scheme-III. The prices of imported fertilizers have not registered any substantial change in the International market in the period April 2010-July 2010. Further, marginal decrease in prices, if any, has been offset by the adverse /US$ exchange rate.

(e) & (f): There are reports of smuggling of fertilizers from India to neighbouring countries.
However, these have not been confirmed by the State Governments. The State
Governments have been advised by the Department of Fertilizers to keep a vigil and to check smuggling of fertilizers, if any, from India to neighbouring countries through land and sea routes.

Similarly Union Home Ministry has also alerted Border guarding forces viz., Border
Security Force (BSF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Assam Rifles and Sashastra
Seema Bal and Coast Guard to maintain strict vigilance on the borders to curb smuggling, if any, of fertilizers. Further Union Home Secretary has also addressed to Chief Secretaries of Government of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal to sensitize the authorities concerned to curb the smuggling, if any, of fertilizers into the neighboring countries. 

(g): The Government is promoting Integrated Nutrient Management involving use of bio fertilizers and organic manures in conjunction with chemical fertilizers. Under National Project on Organic Farming 25% credit linked back-ended subsidy up to Rs.40 lakh is provided to private entrepreneurs for establishment of bio fertilizers production units through National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) and National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC).

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Irrigation Potential And Its Utilization

IRRIGATION POTENTIAL AND ITS UTILIZATION .

STARRED

QUESTION NO . 425

ANSWERED ON 26.08.2010

Will the Minister of WATER RESOURCES be pleased to state :-  

(a) the current irrigation potential created and utilized for the country and Andhra Pradesh in particular, where total irrigation potential created was 63,22,680 hectares and out of that 58,32,810 hectares was utilized;

(b) the cost incurred for creation of such irrigation potential;

(c) the reasons for under-utilization of irrigation potential created; and

(d) the scope for further creation of irrigation potential in the next five years and the steps being taken by Government in this regard?

ANSWER
 

THE MINISTER OF PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS AND WATER RESOURCES (SHRI PAWAN KUMAR BANSAL)

(a) to (d) A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (d) OF STARRED QUESTION No.425 TO BE ANSWERED IN RAJYA SABHA ON 26.8.2010 REGARDING IRRIGATION POTENTIAL AND ITS UTILIZATION.

(a) As per the information provided by the State Governments, total irrigation potential created in the country up to March 2010 is 108.21 million hectares (Mha) which includes 7.45 Mha of irrigation potential created in Andhra Pradesh. Detailed information about utilization of irrigation potential is available up to the end of X Plan i.e. March 2007. Against the created irrigation potential of 102.7 Mha at the end of X Plan, the irrigation potential utilization of 87.2 Mha was reported by the State Governments. The irrigation potential created and the irrigation potential utilized for Andhra Pradesh at the end of X Plan have been reported to be 6.86 Mha and 6.20 Mha respectively.

(b) Total expenditure under Major & Medium Irrigation sector, Minor Irrigation sector and Command Area Development and Water Management (CAD&WM) sector from I Plan to X Plan is about Rs.2,50,287 crores. Further, the outlay for these sectors during the first three years of the XI   Plan i.e. during 2007-08 to 2009-10 is Rs.1,25,355 crores.  

(c) With a view to ascertain the reasons for the gap between the irrigation potential created and the irrigation potential utilized, Ministry of Water Resources conducted a study through Indian Institutes of Management, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Kolkata and Lucknow. The important reasons identified by  --> IIMs for the gap include: (a) lack of proper operation and maintenance; (b) incomplete distribution systems; (c) non-completion of command area development works; (d) changes from the initially designed cropping pattern; and (e) diversion of irrigable land for other purposes.

(d) Necessary measures for creation of irrigation potential are taken by the respective State Governments. Government of India has laid due emphasis on water resources development and management. The outlay for water resources sector has been increased from Rs.95,743 crores during X Plan to Rs.2,32,311 crores during XI Plan. The revised target for creation of irrigation potential during XI Plan is 9.5 Mha out of which creation of irrigation potential of about 5.51 Mha has since been reported during the first three years of the XI Plan i.e. during 2007-08 to 2009-10 by the respective State Governments. Government of India provides technical and financial assistance to State Governments with a view to encourage sustainable development and   efficient management of water resources through various schemes and programme. Central grant is provided to States under various schemes / programmes of Ministry of Water Resources namely “Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme”, “Command Area Development and Water Management Programme”, and “Repair, Renovation and Restoration of Water Bodies”. There has been considerable increase in the allocation for these schemes during XI Plan

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