The Hindu : New Delhi News : More funds likely for rural development board

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jul 03, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

More funds likely for rural development board

By Sujay Mehdudia

NEW DELHI, JULY 2. Bowing to demands from MLAs of the Outer Delhi parliamentary constituency, the Delhi Government is contemplating making financial budgetary provisions for the Rural Development Board on the lines of the Trans-Yamuna Development Board. The effort is being seen as an attempt to give a thrust to developmental activities in the vast rural belt of Delhi.

According to the Delhi Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, the Government is working out details and the idea is to create a separate fund for the Rural Development Board so that it is able to take up development activities in rural Delhi without any hitch. Apart from the regular plan schemes and those initiated by the MLAs out of their Constituency Development Fund, such a fund would enable the MLAs to get big infrastructure projects underway in their respective constituencies. For instance, the East Delhi MLAs have got big community and cultural centres, bridges and other such projects executed from the Trans-Yamuna Development Fund.

The Trans-Yamuna Development Board headed by the former Delhi Minister, Narendra Nath, has a budgetary provision of Rs. 70 crores enabling it to take up fast paced developmental activities apart from the other plan schemes. This fund has proved to be very beneficial for the 20 MLAs of East Delhi who have been getting an additional allocation of around Rs. 3 crore per constituency in addition to the Rs. 2 crore Constituency Development Fund to take up developmental activities. "As rural Delhi comprises nearly 125 villages and houses a huge population, it is important that it should get its due. The idea is to give a financial teeth to the Rural Development Board to bridge the gap of development between the rural and urbanised areas. This step will surely accelerate development at a fast pace," Ms. Dikshit stated.

The Outer Delhi MLAs had been making such a demand for a long time and had stated that Rs. 2 crore was not sufficient for them and they should be given funds at par with the East Delhi MLAs. It is understood that the newly elected Outer Delhi Member of Parliament, Sajjan Kumar, also broached the topic with the Chief Minister during his recent meeting and Ms. Dikshit reportedly agreed to make the necessary budgetary allocation in this regard.

During the last tenure of the Sheila Dikshit Government, Haroon Yusuf headed the Rural Development Board. However, this time round there is strong possibility that a Minister might not head the Board and some political head is likely to be made the chairman. A large number of MLAs and political leaders of Outer Delhi including the three-time MLA, Mukesh Sharma, are in the race for this post, but no final decision has been taken on the issue. However, there is a strong possibility that Mr. Kumar could well emerge as the strong candidate to occupy this post as he not only commands respect among the party legislators but also has a good hold over the officials, something that the other MLAs would find it difficult to work with. Mr. Kumar has been holding regular meetings with his area MLAs and the Chief Minister to draw up a development plan for his vast constituency comprising 21 Assembly segments. "My constituency is huge and development cannot take place here without funds. The Delhi Government is giving the people of rural Delhi its due share, something which the previous BJP Member of Parliament failed to get from his NDA Government despite being in power for six years," Mr. Kumar stated.

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