Frame separate Disaster Risk Index for hill states, Himachal CM Sukhu urges Panagariya

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today sought reframing of the Disaster Risk Index (DRI) formulated by the 15th Finance Commission as the Himalayan region could not be equated with the rest of the country as far as various hazard vulnerabilities and their respective weightages were concerned.

The Chief Minister today met with the Chairman of the 16th Finance Commission, Dr Arvind Panagariya, in New Delhi and discussed various issues relating to state’s fiscal health. He contended that it was because of the low DRI that Himachal did not get adequate resources from the 15th Finance Commission to meet its requirement of disaster relief though it had been disproportionately facing the brunt of disasters.

He said, “The uniform matrix does not include hazards like landslides, snow avalanches, cloudbursts, forest fires and glacial lakes outburst floods and their increased frequency in the recent past impacting the mountainous region.” Sukhu requested Panagariya that a separate DRI be prepared for hill states considering their unique indicators so that a separate allocation could be made for them.

The Chief Minister also urged Panagariya that the reducing revenue deficit grant (RDG) should be kept at a minimum of Rs 10,000 crore every year for a revenue deficit state like Himachal. He requested Panagariya for the creation of a separate ‘Green Fund’ with an earmarked annual allocation of Rs 50,000 crore for the hill states for the ecological services they were providing to the country in different forms. The matter had also been raised with the Prime Minister through a letter written to him, he added.

Sukhu said that since the Finance Commission was in the process of finalising its report, the submissions of the state may be considered sympathetically in final recommendations so that its finances remain sustainable. He assured Panagariya that the state would do everything possible to move towards the path of fiscal prudence.

He said that Himachal had faced the brunt of natural disasters for the past three years, losing precious lives and suffering a loss of more than Rs 15,000 crore, including colossal damage to the environment and infrastructure. He apprised Panagariya that the Supreme Court had also made an observation in July that revenue could not be earned at the cost of the environment and the ecology that could prove detrimental to the entire state.

The Chief Minister said that a detailed justification of increasing the weightage for the criteria of forest and the ecology had been sent to the Commission. He requested Panagariya that snow-covered-cum-cold desert areas i.e. above the tree line, should be included along with very dense forests and moderate dense forests areas for their symbiotic relationship.