Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda is raring to go. As he gears up for early Assembly polls, he has reason to believe his government
has done enough for the people of Haryana over the past four-and-a-half years to expect a renewed mandate to rule the state. In an exclusive interview with TSI’s Pramod Kumar, he throws light on his past achievements and future plans
What made you opt for early Assembly elections in Haryana?
There couldn’t have been a more opportune time. The mandate given to the Congress in the Lok Sabha polls inspired us to go in for early polls. People know well what the Congress government has done for them in four-and-a-half years.
Has the infighting in the BJP and its break-up with INLD in Haryana made the contest easier for you?
They parted ways because of their egos and greed for power without any clear perception. At the national level, there’s a tug-of-war on between the Sangh and the BJP. At the state level, the performance of my government has left the Opposition, which is in total disarray, without an issue. So we have no reason to doubt that the Congress will return to power with greater majority.
You have been in office for almost a whole term. How do you rate your performance?
It has indeed been a satisfying tenure. I feel the government has done reasonably well for the people of Haryana. Today, our state leads in per capita investment and ranks second after Goa in per capita income. We have succeeded in setting up modern infrastructure, industrial model townships (IMTs), Special Economic Zones and power plants. I am happy Haryana is back on the rails following the chaotic rule of my predecessor but a lot remains to be done.
The Congress always faces dissidence at election time. Are you officially projected as the next CM?
In the Congress normally no one is projected as CM. The legislators choose their leader. But it is also true that the Congress is contesting the elections on this government’s performance
What initiatives have you taken for the welfare of farmers in Haryana?
We have done everything possible to increase agricultural output and productivity and improve the lot of the farmers. We have ensured that farmers get remunerative prices. Immediately after assuming office, my government waived off Rs 1,600-crore power bills of the farmers. The government also implemented a one-time settlement scheme for farmers who had obtained credit from state co-operative banks. Under the scheme, 3.82 lakh farmers benefited to the tune of Rs. 471 crore.
Haryana still fares very poorly when it comes to gender equality.
The government has taken many effective steps to tide over this socio-economic problem. I am sure we will overcome this problem very soon.
Are there some grey areas where you feel you have not been able to obtain the desired results?
There are no intractable problems. Our work will speak for itself. We have significant achievements in several areas but, of course, there are some areas which require sustained follow-up action. We have done our best to meet the growing demand for power by setting up four power plants in four years. We have also ensured adequate safe drinking water for all. We have made keen efforts to ensure houses for all, especially for the underprivileged sections of society. Industrial development constituted the bedrock of our policy. But much still remains to be done.
How is the pace of industrial development in the state?
The New Industrial Policy 2005 has been epochal in the hi-tech, large, medium and small-scale industrialisation of the state. It has proved to be the key engine of economic growth. A multi-pronged strategy was evolved to achieve the goal of attracting investment worth Rs 2 lakh crore giving employment to more than 10 lakh persons in the next 10 years. Our policies have been extremely investor-friendly and the Haryana Industrial Promotion Act 2005, the Haryana SEZ Act 2005 and the Self-Certification Scheme have brought in investments of Rs.40,000 crore during my regime alone. Also, FDI worth Rs 9,000 crore has been catalysed. Exports, too, touched Rs 40,000 crore last year which is a great achievement for a small state. An added factor that attracted investment is that Haryana is fast becoming a reservoir of skilled labour.
What steps have you taken to solve the state’s perennial power crisis?
The total installed generation capacity available with Haryana is 4,644.30 MW out of which 2140.5 MW is available within the state. The available capacity varies between 2,800 and 3,600 MW during different seasons, depending upon the inflows at hydro stations and planned/forced outages of generators. The demand varies between 3,100 and 5,100 MW in different seasons and during off-peak and peak hours. The peak demand power in Haryana during 2009-10 is expected to grow to 8,435 MW. By 2011-12, it will go up to 11155 MW. Haryana has embarked upon an ambitious plan to create additional generation capacity of about 5,000 MW by the end of the 11th Five Year Plan.
has done enough for the people of Haryana over the past four-and-a-half years to expect a renewed mandate to rule the state. In an exclusive interview with TSI’s Pramod Kumar, he throws light on his past achievements and future plansWhat made you opt for early Assembly elections in Haryana?
There couldn’t have been a more opportune time. The mandate given to the Congress in the Lok Sabha polls inspired us to go in for early polls. People know well what the Congress government has done for them in four-and-a-half years.
Has the infighting in the BJP and its break-up with INLD in Haryana made the contest easier for you?
They parted ways because of their egos and greed for power without any clear perception. At the national level, there’s a tug-of-war on between the Sangh and the BJP. At the state level, the performance of my government has left the Opposition, which is in total disarray, without an issue. So we have no reason to doubt that the Congress will return to power with greater majority.
You have been in office for almost a whole term. How do you rate your performance?
It has indeed been a satisfying tenure. I feel the government has done reasonably well for the people of Haryana. Today, our state leads in per capita investment and ranks second after Goa in per capita income. We have succeeded in setting up modern infrastructure, industrial model townships (IMTs), Special Economic Zones and power plants. I am happy Haryana is back on the rails following the chaotic rule of my predecessor but a lot remains to be done.
The Congress always faces dissidence at election time. Are you officially projected as the next CM?
In the Congress normally no one is projected as CM. The legislators choose their leader. But it is also true that the Congress is contesting the elections on this government’s performance
What initiatives have you taken for the welfare of farmers in Haryana?
We have done everything possible to increase agricultural output and productivity and improve the lot of the farmers. We have ensured that farmers get remunerative prices. Immediately after assuming office, my government waived off Rs 1,600-crore power bills of the farmers. The government also implemented a one-time settlement scheme for farmers who had obtained credit from state co-operative banks. Under the scheme, 3.82 lakh farmers benefited to the tune of Rs. 471 crore.
Haryana still fares very poorly when it comes to gender equality.
The government has taken many effective steps to tide over this socio-economic problem. I am sure we will overcome this problem very soon.
Are there some grey areas where you feel you have not been able to obtain the desired results?
There are no intractable problems. Our work will speak for itself. We have significant achievements in several areas but, of course, there are some areas which require sustained follow-up action. We have done our best to meet the growing demand for power by setting up four power plants in four years. We have also ensured adequate safe drinking water for all. We have made keen efforts to ensure houses for all, especially for the underprivileged sections of society. Industrial development constituted the bedrock of our policy. But much still remains to be done.
How is the pace of industrial development in the state?
The New Industrial Policy 2005 has been epochal in the hi-tech, large, medium and small-scale industrialisation of the state. It has proved to be the key engine of economic growth. A multi-pronged strategy was evolved to achieve the goal of attracting investment worth Rs 2 lakh crore giving employment to more than 10 lakh persons in the next 10 years. Our policies have been extremely investor-friendly and the Haryana Industrial Promotion Act 2005, the Haryana SEZ Act 2005 and the Self-Certification Scheme have brought in investments of Rs.40,000 crore during my regime alone. Also, FDI worth Rs 9,000 crore has been catalysed. Exports, too, touched Rs 40,000 crore last year which is a great achievement for a small state. An added factor that attracted investment is that Haryana is fast becoming a reservoir of skilled labour.
What steps have you taken to solve the state’s perennial power crisis?
The total installed generation capacity available with Haryana is 4,644.30 MW out of which 2140.5 MW is available within the state. The available capacity varies between 2,800 and 3,600 MW during different seasons, depending upon the inflows at hydro stations and planned/forced outages of generators. The demand varies between 3,100 and 5,100 MW in different seasons and during off-peak and peak hours. The peak demand power in Haryana during 2009-10 is expected to grow to 8,435 MW. By 2011-12, it will go up to 11155 MW. Haryana has embarked upon an ambitious plan to create additional generation capacity of about 5,000 MW by the end of the 11th Five Year Plan.
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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008
An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative
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