Rajasthan govt demands special status

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot re-stressed on his demand for special state status to the desert state in view of the peculiar geographical, social and economic circumstances and chronic water crisis. Mr Gehlot, who had raised the issue before the Union Finance Minister during state Finance Ministers' meet in New Delhi recently, reiterated his demand before the 13th Finance Commission which held its meeting with state government at state Secretariat here. While Mr Gehlot led the state officials team at the meeting, Finance Commission team was led by Chairman Dr Vijay Kelkar. Drawing the attention of the Commission, over the serious problem of drinking water in the state, the Chief Minister said that Rajasthan had to face the situation of drought for 55 years in the last 61 years and the state had made progress even in these adverse circumstances.

Demanding special status to the state for drinking water, he said that the cost of delivery of services and facilities to the people was much higher as compared to other states. Keeping this in view, the state had been continuously demanding the status of special category status for the last so many years, he added. Mr Gehlot said that the state occupied 10.4 per cent area of the country, of which more than 60 per cent area was desert and the availability of water was only 1.04 per cent of the total water of the country. Highlighting the dependency of the state on ground water, he apprised the members of the Commission about the demand for water of the farmers and the people. The Chief Minister said that water mining in the state was 137 per cent, whereas it was only 47 per cent in Gujarat, 70 per cent in Uttar Pradesh, 45 per cent in Andhra Pradesh, 85 per cent in Tamilnadu and 48 per cent in Maharashtra.