Other States - Uttar Pradesh   

Centre accused of discriminating against Uttar Pradesh

LUCKNOW: The Mayawati Government here has again accused the UPA Government at the Centre of discriminating against Uttar Pradesh in allotting Central funds to the State. On the Centre’s silence over the Rs.80,000-crore special area incentive package demanded for Bundelkhand and Purvanchal regions of U.P., the State Government said similar package had been released for Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, who were better off than Bundelkhand.

State Cabinet Secretary Shashank Shekhar Singh said at a press conference here that in the Common Minimum Programme of the UPA Government it was admitted that in the Tenth Five Year Plan the average per capita Central assistance to UP and Bihar was less than the national average.

He said it was clear that justice had not been done to the State in the allocation of financial resources.

Stating that the Centre was bound to help the States in accordance with the norms of the Finance Commission, the Cabinet Secretary said neither separate assistance had been granted to UP nor had the Central Government taken a positive decision on the State’s demands.

Mr. Singh said while Rs.467.02 crore had been allocated to UP for building 2.55 lakh houses under the Indira Avas Yojana, Bihar’s share was Rs.1063.44 crore for 5.67 lakh houses under the Central scheme. Under the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission, UP had been sanctioned Rs.526.34 crore in the 2007-2008 financial year. As compared to UP’s quota, Maharashtra had been allotted Rs.1042.48 crore and West Bengal Rs.625.87 crore.

As compared to Rs.1250 crore for Andhra Pradesh, Rs.550 crore for Madhya Pradesh, Rs.500 crore for Karnataka and Rs.330 crore for Uttarakhand for implementation of irrigation schemes in 2007-2008 fiscal, UP had been sanctioned Rs.140 crore, the Cabinet Secretary said.

Accusing the Centre of ignoring the needs of the drought-hit people of Bundelkhand, Mr. Singh said only 25 per cent Central assistance was being given for the water schemes in the region. Under the one-time additional Central assistance for 2007-2008 UP had been sanctioned Rs.75 crore, whereas Maharashtra’s share was Rs.200 crore and Uttarakhand’s Rs.247.50 crore, he added.

He said for implementation of National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme, the Centre had not acceded to the State’s demand for an additional Rs.1000 crore.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Separate mosques for women demanded
Congressmen term Das’s resignation a non-event
Mulayam asks party men to prepare for polls
Centre accused of discriminating against Uttar Pradesh

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu