War woes: Rajasthan to spend more on defence

JAIPUR: Heightened tension on the international border with Rajasthan has forced the state government to reschedule its expenditure and prioritise defence needs through extra budgetary allocations.
The state government has geared up its internal machinery to meet the external threat in consultation with the Centre following renewed security threat in recent times.
The additional expenditure being incurred by the state government from its own resources is compensated by the defence department. But the state government is in a fix to assess the exact amount of compensation to be charged to the defence ministry for damage caused to roads by heavy movement of vehicles.
The army movement, which started immediately after the attack on Parliament has resulted in substantial damage to roads in the border areas. Though a preliminary assessment has been made by the state government with assistance from the army, it is not sure about the exact amount it has to bear when the army ultimately pulls out of the border.
The army pull out, as and when it happens, would also result in further damage to existing roads. This makes a final assessment difficult at this stage.
Army deployment also necessitated the laying of mines in the border villages, resulting in crop loss, particularly to rabi crops. Preliminary estimates put the damage at Rs 56 crore. Of this, crop worth Rs 49 crore is estimated to have been damaged in Ganganagar alone.
The affected farmers had already been disbursed partial compensation. The rest would follow soon. However, the state government feels that continued deployment may also affect the kharif crop in Barmer, Jaisalmer and other border areas.
The main expenditure is being incurred on civil defence. New fire fighters are being purchased while the old ones are being repaired, Sirens, closed for many years, are being reactivated. Home guards are being equipped with additional gadgets, additional beds and emergency operation facilities are being put in place in civil hospitals.
Electricity companies are being told to maintain steady supply of power to army camps. They have been advised to purchase generator sets to maintain power supplies.
Other areas where the government is trying to pool its sources are the drinking water. The need for drinking water in the current summer has gone up in the border areas. At present, the requirement is being met from Indira Gandhi nahar project.
It is estimated that about 50 million litres of water is drawn from the canal per day.
Officials said the extra financial burden would not affect the state government’s ability to meet its debt servicing commitment which now stands at Rs 150 crore.
Besides, the state government now draws on the RBI to meet its wage and means advances. But the state government’s dependence on RBI for meeting its current expenditure throughout the year is not in any way connected to the extra financial commitment on security.