CHANDIGARH: The new Member of Parliament from Rohtak, Deepender Singh Hooda, demanded a package of Rs. 1,100 crores for Haryana while participating in the discussion on the Union Budget in the Lok Sabha on Thursday. Mr. Hooda, son of Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, told The Hindu that he also sought inclusion of frost, cold wave and heat wave in the definition of "natural calamity", implementation of the Nehru Urban Renewal Mission in NCR municipalities, setting up of public schools in rural areas and small towns and enhancement of facilities at secondary level schools.

He disclosed that he had sought a financial package as Haryana had been supplying foodgrains at a low regulated price for the Central pool while paying a high price to other States for power to produce the foodgrains. There should also be a mechanism at the national level to rationalise power charges for all States so that those deficit in power generation did not suffer. Mr. Hooda also suggested that the settlement process under the National Agricultural Insurance Scheme should be made quicker as it was too slow and all the affected farmers were not being compensated. He urged the Central Government to give a fresh look to the subsidies being given to the agriculture sector "A high-power committee should be set up to examine feasibility of shortening the chain of providing credit to the farmers and restructuring cooperative societies on the pattern of commercial banks." Mr.Hooda also sought a grant of Rs. 100 crores for the Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University on the pattern of Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana.

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