Prime Minister of India - Dr. Manmohan Singh

PM lays the Foundation Stone of the Hissar Thermal Power Plant

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Today I am very happy that I am here with you to lay the foundation stone of a mega thermal power station. This thermal power project is the first mega power project in Haryana and I believe that with the construction of this 1200 MW power plant, the state of Haryana will get more power. First of all, I would like to congratulate the Haryana government and Mr. Bhupinder Singh Hooda who worked speedily on this project and I hope they will continue to work with the same speed and complete this project at the earliest.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Haryana is one of the high-developed states of the country. Everyone is aware of its history and the past. It is the land, which saw the beginning of the Indian culture. It is the land where the fight between truth and untruth- the Mahabharata was fought and it is the land where "Gita" was preached. This state has been the land of reconciliation amongst all the religions, which has, from time to time, been visited by Saints, Peer-Fakirs and Sikh Gurus.

In 1966, Mrs. Indira Gandhi signed Haryana as a separate state on India's map. Since its inception Haryana has shown its ability in various fields of development. Haryana has been at the No.1 position in providing electricity, pucca roads and drinking water in every village. And for all this the industrious and hard working people of the state deserve the credit. Credit also goes to Mrs. Indira Gandhi, who, fore-seeing the future,created Haryana, as a state.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The farmers are the backbone of Haryana. The hardworking farmers of the state have turned the state into a bread basket, though when compared to the neighbouring states, Haryana had more difficulties on its way. No big river passes through the state. The land was less fertile here. There was no big city or industry in the state. Despite all these hardships, the people of Haryana worked very hard to bring it to the no 2 position in food grain production.

Water is an essential requirement for agriculture. I am aware that the use of tube well is the highest in Haryana. I am told that on an average there are 10 tube wells per square kilometer and the total no. of tube wells in the state is 5 lakhs. That is why half of the power consumption in the state is consumed by agriculture sector. We realise how important this project is for the farmers of the state, with the completion of this project, Haryana will get more power and agriculture production will get a boost.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Under the stewardship of Mr. Bhupinder Singh Hooda, the congress government has taken many steps for the benefit of the farmers. It has given top priority to the agriculture sector and I am indeed happy to see the progress made in the sector during the last 3 years. I am told that agriculture sector is receiving a annual subsidy to the tune of Rs. 2000 crore on power alone. Electricity arrears of Rs. 1600 crore have been waived off for the farmers and rural people and now the farmers of Haryana their electricity bills on time.

I have also been told that the farmers are now getting loan at the rate of 7% while a few years back they were getting it at the rate of 11 %. Besides, a relaxation of 2% is being provided to those repaying the loan in time. With these steps, farmers have got much relief and I am sure that you all would have been feeling these relaxations.

To improve the conditions of the farmers, UPA govt. in Delhi has taken many steps in the last two years. An increase of rupees 200/- has been brought into effect in the support price of wheat. The state govt. has increased the rate of sugarcane by rupees 21/- per quintal during the last two years: We have reduced the rates of interest on crop loans and relaxed the time to return the remaining loans to banks. National Horticulture Mission has been started to tend the farmers towards cash crops in place of rice and wheat.

Haryana must take advantage of it as you are near cities like Delhi and Chandigarh and if you grow vegetables, fruits and flowers these articles can be easily sold in these cities.

Brothers and Sisters,

The Congress Government in Haryana under the leadership of Chief Minister Shri Bhupinder Singh Huddaji is taking Haryana to the oath of progress very fast. Today, Haryana is buzzing with development activities. If anyone has to establish any industry in the country. Haryana is among the first choice for him. Gurgaon, which used to be considered as a small town a few years back, is emerging as a corporate capital today. It has become a center for software. In Haryana, small villages and towns are changing into big cities.

Due to this development the demand for electricitv in Haryana is increasing. To meet this demand, your government is working very hard. Apart from this project in Hisar, work is in progress to establish large thermal power plant in Yamunanager and Jhajjar. I know that Haryana has neither coal nor gas. I assure Shri Hudda ji that for the power plants being established in the state the requisite coal and gas would be made available. There is a shortage of gas across the country today but we are working to overcome this shortage of gas in the next 3-4 years. Haryana would be given share as per its need so that there is no hindrance to the development work going on here.

In a public meeting in Panipath last year I had said that work for establishing a Nuclear power plant in Haryana would be started fast. I have been told that a place has already been chosen in Fatehabad distt. Where work to establish a Nuclear power plant would be started as soon as possible. It would help to fulfill the wish of your chief minister to overcome the shortage of electricity in the 3-4 years.

There is a plan to establish a thermal Dower plant in Jhaiiar and for that we would allocate coal mines shortly for that. Besides, the requisite rail facility would be provided to carry coal to Jhajjar. So far as, Kishau, Renuka and Lakhwar Vyasi projects are concern, we have to start negotiation with other states also to get it started. We have already started talk on this issue in Delhi and hope we will be able to give momentum to these projects.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I would like to mention here 2-3 facts about electricity. Today, our country is facing power shortage. This could affect our development pace. In order to overcome this shortage and to take necessary steps in this regard, I have convened a meeting of Chief Ministers in the end of this month. In this meeting, we will try and reach a concensus on tackling this problem in a time bound manner.

You can also help removing this power shortage in your own way. You can save electricity by using pump sets and motors of good quality. I have been told that due to the use of motors and pump sets of inferior quality, we consume two times more electricity and this can be saved. You know this very well that money is needed to generate power as well as it is needed for production of food grains, and goods. Electricity cannot be provided free of cost. If you pay for it in time, you will get it when you need it, in adequate quantity and in the right voltage. If Power-generating companies face financial problems, power situation in the country will get worse.

Ladies and gentlemen,

At the end, I would like to thank you and your government and Shri Hudda Ji for taking Haryana on the path of rapid development. We in Centre are with you and will extend every possible help to you. We would develop Hissar as a Magnet Town in NCR. A long flyover over the road passing through Badarpur would be constructed. The funds has already been sanctioned for this. Work on a number of Highways would be soon started in other parts of the State. We would extend our support for a hospital to be constructed in the memory of Kalpana Chawla at Karnal. Every possible effort would be made to set up big projects in Haryana. I am looking forward the day when Haryana would be known not only for its agriculture, but also for education, health and industrial development. I extend my heartiest congratulation to all of you.

Jai Hind.