Ahead of the Union budget on Tuesday, February 1, Jharkhand has demanded an IIT and AIIMS in Ranchi to boost higher education and improve medical studies in the state with state finance minister Rameshwar Oraon sending a wishlist to Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman that also seeks more fiscal assistance from the Centre in terms of pension schemes.

While Oraon wasn’t available for comment, but as per the letter, the conents of which was shared by his aides on Sunday, he argued that the state capital could not make much progress in the field of technical education since the formation of Jharkhand two decades ago. “Therefore, we request you to grant an IIT to boost higher and technical education in Ranchi,” he argued.

To boost the medical sector, he also demanded that an AIIMS be allocated in Ranchi.

While Jharkhand doesn’t have an IIT as yet, Dhanbad based Indian School of Mines has been according the status of an IIT. In 2018, the Centre sanctioned an AIIMS in Deoghar district which has commenced operations in a phased manner while the construction of its permanent campus is underway in the Devipur area of the temple town.

Oraon also demanded special assistance in the form of schemes to promote entrepreneurship among ST/SCs. For various pension schemes, the state finance minister asked the Centre to increase its allocation for 2022-23 fiscal. “Currently, under different pension heads such as old age, disability etc, Centre gives about Rs 200-300 while state contributes the rest to provide Rs 1,000 as pension per month to each entitled beneficiary. However, due to lack of enough resources (in the state) to generate revenues, the Centre must increase its share.”

With Jharkhand being a mineral-rich state, Oraon has demanded increase in royalty from the Centre in lieu mining leases to various entities to make up for the loss to the environment and effective rehabilitation. “At least 20 per cent minimum royalty must be provided to the state in mines and mineral excavation and trade by different entities,” he demanded, adding that all the coal companies operating in Jharkhand must also ensure proper rehabilitation and development of mined areas after operations are over.

In the rail sector, Oraon demanded early completion of the Barkakana-Sanki rail track (20km) which is part of the Koderma-Hazaribag-Ranchi rail line. He also sought new train services between Namkum (Ranchi) and Kandra (Adityapur), and a rail link between Tori and Chatra. “As many as four districts of Jharkhand, namely Gumla, Simdega, Khunti and Chatra, are still devoid of rail connectivity, which needs urgent attention,” he stressed, adding that frequency of long distance trains like Rajdhani Express, Garib Rath Express, among others, be increased.

Citing revenue shortfalls in recent years, coupled with the Covid-19 pandemic, he pleaded before the Centre to increase its share and timely release of funds. “Central shares have been continuously lessened to the state in recent years due to which we are finding it difficult to manage resources. In 2019-20, we received Rs 20,593 crore from central share, which dipped to Rs 19,712 crore. In this fiscal, we have so far only received Rs 14,891 crore. Such trimming of devolution funds to the state is leading to a fiscal crisis,” he said.

Also, considering the revenue shortfall due to Covid-19 and the untimely payment of GST compensation, the Centre, he added, must increas the period of GST compensation to states for another five years. “Most importantly, Centre must clear pending GST dues to the state to meet its requirements,” he said.