Neglected Hill Area (Darjeeling & Kalimpong): Urgent Need for Adequate Budget Allocation & Policy Focus.

The enchanting hill areas of Kalimpong and Darjeeling in West Bengal have been facing a multitude of challenges due to the lack of adequate budget allocation and the absence of important socioeconomic development policies from both the state & centre governments. This neglect has resulted in a deteriorating society characterized by alarming social issues, including unemployment, drug addiction, prostitution, violence, migration, water crisis, political conflicts etc. and a lack of focus on tourism development. The failure to include key central & state schemes under Major Head 2551-Hill Area and the absence of dedicated funds for tourism further exacerbate the situation.

Inadequate Planned Funds: For far too long, the hill areas of Kalimpong and Darjeeling have been deprived of sufficient planned funds for their comprehensive development. The allocation has been inconsistent and often insufficient to address the specific needs and challenges faced by these regions. As a consequence, critical sectors such as infrastructure, healthcare, education, and employment generation have suffered, leading to the erosion of socio-economic well-being.

Impact on Society: The repercussions of the insufficient budget allocation and the absence of targeted policies have had a profound impact on the society of Kalimpong and Darjeeling. Unemployment rates have skyrocketed, leaving many educated youths disillusioned and marginalized. The lack of opportunities has forced many youths into the trap of drug addiction, perpetuating a cycle of despair and social degradation. The absence of effective socio-economic policies has also contributed to the rise of prostitution and a surge in violent incidents, posing a serious threat to the safety and well-being of the community. Additionally, the water crisis has become a pressing concern, jeopardizing public health and creating hardships for the local population.

The government of West Bengal and the government of India have not been allocating adequate planned funds for the development of the hills, which has led to an alarming degrading society.

Neglected Centre Schemes and Tourism: The failure to include important central schemes under Major Head 2551, which focuses on the development of the hill areas, further exacerbates the challenges faced by Kalimpong and Darjeeling. These schemes, designed to uplift the socio-economic conditions, do not receive the necessary attention and funding they deserve, hampering the overall progress of the region. Furthermore, the lack of dedicated funds for tourism development is a missed opportunity, as the hill areas have immense potential for tourism-based economic growth. Neglecting this sector deprives the region of substantial revenue and employment opportunities.

Demand for Immediate Action: Both the state & central government must acknowledge the pressing issues faced by the hill areas and take urgent action. An adequate and consistent budget allocation must be ensured to address the socio-economic needs of Kalimpong and Darjeeling comprehensively. The inclusion of important central & state schemes under Major Head 2551-Hill Area is crucial for effective implementation. Furthermore, allocating dedicated funds for tourism development can unlock the untapped potential of the region and create sustainable economic opportunities.

Conclusion: The hill areas of Kalimpong and Darjeeling have suffered from a lack of adequate budget allocation and the absence of important socio-economic development policies. The alarming rise in unemployment, drug addiction, prostitution, violence, migration, water crisis, political conflict & crisis and the disregard for tourism development underscores the urgent need for intervention. It is imperative that both the state and centre prioritize these issues, allocate sufficient funds, and implement effective policies to foster the holistic development of the region. Only through these concerted efforts can the hill areas of Kalimpong and Darjeeling regain their vibrancy, uplift the living standards of their residents, and create a prosperous and sustainable future.

The following are some of the steps that the government can take to improve the situation in the hill areas:

·??????Increase the budget allocation for the development of the hill areas.

·??????Provide employment opportunities to the people of the hill areas.

·??????Set up rehabilitation facilities for drug addicts.

·??????Crackdown on prostitution.

·??????Promote peace and harmony in the hill areas.

·??????Address the water crisis in the hill areas.

·??????Implement policies that will help to create jobs and improve the living conditions of the people in the hills.

·??????Provide more educational and vocational training opportunities for the people in the hills.

·??????Promote tourism in the hills.

·??????Improve the infrastructure in the hills, such as roads, schools, hospitals, and water supply.

·??????There should be a survey for the District Human Development Report for Kalimpong & Darjeeling.

There are a total of 79 departments in the Government of West Bengal and we find 19 of them in Major Head 2551 Hill Area, considering that it does not apply to a few departments.

Hill Affairs & Home Department was merged and became Home & Hill Affairs in 2016 before this all the applicable departments came under Major Head 2551 which was around 24 departments after 2017 it has reduced from 24 to 19. I have taken three departments as an example out of the 19 given below.?

1. Agriculture Department:

Kalimpong is an Agriculture district from the lush green forest as an organic manure producer for the taste bud-bursting tangerine, ginger, avocado, kiwi, coffee, rai ko saag, simrayo ko saag, dalley, baasti ko chaamal & so on that the farmers grow to the florists who grow beautiful ornamental plants. ?Agriculture and allied service BE 2022-2023 are ? 12,709 Crore & the BE for Hill Area is ? 9.5 Crore which is 0.07%, which is a non-planned fund. There has not been any policy focused on Agriculture and Horticulture for the Hills nor a good allocation of Budget for such sectors as you can see in the table below that the Government has not sent a penny to the hills for the development of agriculture and farmers. According to the District Survey Report of District Darjeeling & Kalimpong (for mining of minor minerals), agricultural land use is 49%.

2. Tourism: We all know that tourism is the backbone of the Hills which has been badly fractured since 2017 without any funds released for its recovery.

3. Education: A report by Eastern Himalayan Foundation show that the highest drop rate is in Darjeeling where the youths have high potential to excel but due to a lack of good policy Budget Allocation for School & Higher education, youth and sports the youth are dropping out from education and embracing drugs which has become a serious issue.

4. Water: No allocation to solve the water problems.

Table 1: shows the total amount that has been sent to Major Head 2551 Hill Area, it looks like a big amount has been sent. But it is not as 99% of it is the non-planned budget for administrative expenditure and less than 0.9% is the planned development fund.

It has been more than a year that there has been no response to my RTI from the District Darjeeling and Kalimpong DM regarding the revenue collection, so I had to collect data from various sources viz. West Bengal Finance Department, West Bengal Commercial Taxes Department, CAG report, Department of Statistics, District Reports, Annual reports etc. and make a rough estimate of the revenue collected from the Hills. (Note: The tax & revenue collected may vary slightly with the data from the DM office if made public or given.)

The total tax and revenue collected in Darjeeling district in FY 2022-2023 were ?1,500 crores & District Kalimpong was ?750 crore which in total is ? 2250 Crore and the BE 2023-2024 is ? 1088.8 Cr (48% less than the tax collected).?

The Sate BE 23-24 is 3,39,162 Cr and BE 23-24 in Hill Area is 1088 Cr which is 0.32% of the total State Expenditure, which means the Government of West Bengal is spending 0.32% and in development at 0.9%.

The Sate BE 23-24 is 3,39,162 Cr and BE 23-24 in Hill Area is 1088 Cr which is 0.32% of the total State Expenditure.

Detailed account of Hill Area/GTA/DGHC/Notified Area Actuals and BE.

This table indicates the details account head where the budget has been sent over the years with 0.32% of expenditure in FY 23-24 in the Hill Areas as compared to state expenditure (as shown in Chart 3) and planned development fund at its lowest 0.9%. Major social schemes from the centre are not sent to the Hills. Further, the funds received under MH 789 & 796 are shown in Table 22., Sl No.3, 7 are for Scheduled Caste & Scheduled Tribe which has been removed and in Sl. No. 33 & 36 it has stopped coming, there is nothing for OBC and Minority.?

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