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Water Resources
The UPA government will make a comprehensive assessment of the
feasibility of linking the rivers of the country starting with the south-bound
rivers. This assessment will be done in a fully consultative
manner. It will also explore the feasibility of linking sub-basins of
rivers in states like Bihar. The UPA will take all steps to ensure that
long-pending inter-state disputes on rivers and water-sharing like the
Cauvery Waters dispute are settled amicably at the earliest keeping
in mind the interests of all parties to the dispute.
- To put an end to the acute drinking water shortage in cities,
especially in southern states, desalination plants will be installed all
along the Coromandel Coast starting with Chennai. Special problems
of habitations in hilly terrains will be addressed immediately.
Providing drinking water to all sections in urban and rural areas and
augmenting availability of drinking water sources is an issue of the
topmost priority. Harvesting rain water, desilting existing ponds and
other innovative mechanisms will be adopted.
- The UPA government commits itself to a comprehensive programme
of urban renewal and to a massive expansion of social housing in
towns and cities, paying particular attention to the needs of slum
dwellers. Housing for the weaker sections in rural areas will be
expanded on a large scale. Forced eviction and demolition of slums
will be stopped and while undertaking urban renewal, care will be
taken to see that the urban and semi-urban poor are provided
housing near their place of occupation.
Regional Development, Centre-State Relations
- The UPA government is committed to redressing growing regional
imbalances both among states as well as within states, through fiscal,
administrative, investment and other means. It is a matter of concern
that regional imbalances have been accentuated by not just historical
neglect but also by distortions in Plan allocations and central
government assistance. Even in the Tenth Five Year Plan , states like
Bihar, Assam and UP have received per capita allocations that are
much below the national average. The UPA government will
consider the creation of a Backward States Grant Fund that will be
used to create productive assets in these states. The central
government will also take proactive measures to speed up the
industrialization of the eastern and northeastern region.
A structured and transparent approach to alleviate the burden of
debt on states will be adopted at the earliest, so as to enable them to
increase social sector investments. Interest rates on loans to states will
be reduced and the share of states in the single, divisible pool of taxes
enhanced.
- All non-statutory resource transfers from the central government will
be weighted in favour of poor and backward states but with performance
parameters as well. A special programme for social andphysical
infrastructure development in the poorest and most
backward districts of the country will be taken up on a priority basis.
The UPA government will take special measures to ensure that
regions of India like in the east where the credit:deposit ratio is
lagging, is improved substantially.
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