The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : State to get more funds for rural development

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jun 13, 2011
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

State to get more funds for rural development

Staff Reporter

AP not getting appropriate allocations: Vilasrao Deshmukh
State to get
Rs. 11,509 cr. from Centre this year for rural development

Having a close look: Union Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Vilasrao Deshmukh, and Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy going through a photo exhibition in Hyderabad on Sunday.

HYDERABAD: Union Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, Vilasrao Deshmukh, has given an assurance to the State government to provide more funds under various schemes relating to his department.

He admitted that Andhra Pradesh has not been getting appropriate allocation under the Prime Minister's Grameen Sadak Yojna (PMGSY).

Addressing a press conference here on Sunday after reviewing the implementation of rural development schemes in the State, he said AP was getting relatively lesser funds under PMGSY due to some issues relating to utilisation. These issues would be resolved and more funds allocated.

The State government had made some suggestions in the implementation of schemes and the Centre would consider them positively. The State had been pioneering in mobilising women under self-help groups and in the implementation of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), he added.

“Performance of AP in implementing rural development schemes has been one of the best in the country”, Mr. Deshmukh commended and noted that it had utilised a maximum of Rs.7,000 crore under MGNREGS last year. Functioning of SHGs had been exemplary in the State and they were training women in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar as well as in Bangladesh. Maharashtra would also like to learn a lesson or two from it in that aspect, he said.

Chief Minister, N. Kiran Kumar Reddy said that the Union Minister had promised to consider his request for an assistance of Rs. 100 crore for setting up a non-banking financial company (NBFC) jointly with four banks to prevent SHGs' exploitation by microfinance institutions. He would formally write soon to Union Finance Minister besides Mr. Deshmukh in this regard. He requested Mr. Deshmukh to sanction Rs. 150 crore for skill development of 15 lakh unemployed youth in three years, Rs. 100 crore for developing AP Academy of Rural Development (APARD) into a rural university, hike in assured wage days to needy households under MGNREGS and hike in the unit cost of rural housing.

The State would get Rs. 11,509 crore from the Centre this year for rural development schemes, he noted.

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

Andhra Pradesh