Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar highlighted Dr. B.R. Ambedkar's significant contributions to India, extending beyond his role in drafting the Constitution. Speaking at an event to commemorate the 100 years of his book "The Problem of the Rupee: Its Origin and Its Solution," Pawar said Amedbkar deserves credit for preserving parliamentary democracy in the country.
Pawar emphasized that Ambedkar's impact extended to key decisions related to water resources and power.
The NCP chief said, “The current generation is only aware of his contribution (as the chairman of the drafting committee) towards the Constitution.” He said, Ambedkar also took crucial decisions on how to use water and build its infrastructure.
He said the key decision to construct the Bhakra Nangal dam, built over the Sutlej river, and the Damodar Valley Corporation, a public sector power generator operating in West Bengal and Jharkhand, was taken during Amedbkar’s tenure.
The Bhakra Nangal dam played a crucial role in the irrigation sector for Punjab and Haryana, spurring agricultural growth in the two states, Pawar said.
“While taking these decisions (on building dams), he also realised how important it was to generate power from these dams,” Pawar said.
The NCP leader also credited Ambedkar for laying the foundation of the state electricity boards to enable power generation at the state level and founding the Transmission Corporation of India to take electricity to states that did not produce power.
“People are still reaping the benefits of the decisions that Amebdkar took,” Pawar added.