BJP proposal to raise fund for Gujarat

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>vaidika1008 (AT) hotmail (DOT) com >[bJP News]: BJP proposal to raise fund

for Gujarat >Fri, 16 Feb 2001 17:39:26 -0500 > >Title: BJP proposal to

raise fund for Gujarat >Author: Special Correspondent >Publication: The Hindu

>Feb. 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. >----

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