To Adopt a Different Perspective on Policy Making - Opinion

Himachal Pradesh  

Himachal Day April 15, Three Major Announcements:

There will be no charges for the water bill in the Rural areas of Himachal Pradesh. 

The electricity Bill of 125 units will be a free off cost for the people of the state. 

Women will now have to pay only 50% fare for bus tickets on the HRTC buses.

 image: creative commons

People in Rural areas having water connections will be exempted from paying water bills. It means that there will be a free water supply for rural areas.

We all know that water is a very essential part of our 🌍 Earth's Life. Everything alive needs water, for survival. In a state like HP where we have various alternatives that fulfil our water requirements which include springs, Kuhl, Baories, Ponds, Katie's, and ditches Particularly in HP These systems supplement the water requirements of the rural and urban areas.

Local Bawari

There are 10512 traditional sources of water in the state for rural habitations Traditional sources of water play a significant role in poor and weaker sections of society but these traditional sources in Himachal Pradesh are not in a good condition according to a survey of state councils for Science, Technology, and Environment did in 169 Panchayats of 7 districts shows that only 30.41% sources are in good working condition and 69.5% are not in proper working condition and nearly going to dry soon. The need is that their condition should be rectified for this govt will need revenue but giving freebies will put a strain on the state budget and will restrict their capacity to finance critical social sectors.
According to a 2015 World Bank report, rural poverty in HP has decreased from 36% to 8% and it ranks fourth in terms of per capita income in India. The water rates in HP are cheap. In the rural sector, it is Rs.31 per connection per month. For municipalities, Rs.12 per kl and for commercial use, Rs.25 per kl, or a minimum of Rs.100 per month. Economist regards water as CPR. Common property resources are those resources that are non-excludable and rivalrous. CPR is one of the reasons for market failure, where the market fails to achieve productive and allocative efficiency Free water excess leads to wasteful exploitation of water and it will become exploited and over-consumed, leading to market failure.