Special Correspondent
The Hindu
Posted on
TitlBJP proposal to raise fund for Gujarat Author: Special Correspondent Publication: The Hindu DatFeb. 17, 2001 NEW DELHI, FEB. 16. A proposal to raise about Rs. 20,000 crores from income-tax payers over three years as a fund for relief and rehabilitation in Gujarat has been formally made by the BJP to the Finance Minister. ``It will now be for the Finance Minister to accept it or reject it,'' the party vice-president and spokesperson, Mr. Jana Krishnamurthi, said today. Though the party has described the proposed `earthquake relief deposit scheme' as a method to get enough funds for Gujarat ``without tears'', it suggests that one per cent of the total taxable income of individuals and corporates be paid to a bank for three years as a compulsory deposit. This amount will be tax deductible. The deposit will carry no interest but the banks will repay it after three years in three annual instalments. The BJP said rough calculations show that around Rs. 20,000 crores could be thus made available for Gujarat relief over three years. The first indications are that taxpayers, already burdened by the announcement of a two per cent surcharge on income tax, are not likely to be too enthused. Already murmurs of discontent are being heard that the Central Government did practically nothing when natural disasters struck other States, leaving them to stew in their own juice. Another point being made is that so far the Centre and the State Government have not come out with any combined figure of aid already committed, donations made to the relief funds, money expected from the Gujarat relief surcharge, and funds made available to Gujarat by MPs from the local area development funds. It is being pointed out that there is no transparency in the collection and disbursement of funds. No comprehensive account of the money received as donations for the Kargil war and the money spent by the Government as compensation to widows and other relatives has been published. At the BJP press conference today, it was asked why the party did not come up with similar schemes for relief work after the Orissa cyclone and the West Bengal floods. Without exception, the Centre had always sent its own damage assessment team to the States facing a natural calamity and rarely accepted the States' assessment. But in Gujarat's case, it seems that the Centre had told the State that ``funds will not be a problem'' and all that it had to do was come up with a detailed rehabilitation package. According to a party statement, Gujarat has already received just over Rs. 600 crores, but yesterday the Gujarat Chief Minister had said that it had received Rs. 950 crores. Also, a senior State Government official had admitted that of the total estimated damage of Rs. 19,000 crores, nearly Rs. 5,000 crores loss suffered by industry, trade and commerce and another Rs. 5000 crores loss to people in terms of household goods destroyed will not form part of the relief packages. This means that the package needed is Rs. 10,000 crores - roughly half of that for infrastructure and half as compensation to people. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.ofbjp.org ---------------------------------------------------------------------- A worldwide community of BJP's friends, supporters and activists: Friends of the BJP - Worldwid http://www.ofbjp.org/fob ----------------------------------------------------------------------
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