(News) Before Lok Sabha election Bundelkhand will receive Rs.2,000 Cr Package - 2013

The Lok Sabha election not too far, the state is set to receive the Bundelkhand packag.

Though the new package would comprise a meagre Rs 2,000 crore against the demand of Rs 80,000 crore by former chief minister Mayawati, solace for the state government would be that the Centre has not included in the package amount through conversion from Central schemes unlike in the first package announced in 2009.

Adding to it, the scheme has now been extended until the completion of 12{+t}{+h} five year plan. Earlier, the Bundelkhand package as defined by Central Government was announced for three years from the period of 2009 until 2012.

The Union government had announced a package of Rs 7,266 crore for a period of three years for Bundelkhand region covering UP and MP in November, 2009. Of the total, Rs 3,506 was meant for Uttar Pradesh along with an Additional Central Assistance (ACA) of Rs 100 crore while Rs 3,760 crore along with ACA of Rs 100 crore was meant for Madhya Pradesh.

Bundelkhand region in UP comprises Banda, Chitrakoot, Hamirpur, Jalaun, Jhansi, Lalitpur and Mahoba.

But, the definition of package by the Central Planning Commission had been a major bone of contention as the UP government refused to treat the entire amount of Rs 3,606 crore as Bundelkhand package, a senior Planning Commission official told TOI. Reason: The Centre's package also included an amount of Rs 1,910 crore that was conversion from the ongoing central schemes like Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guaranty Scheme (MNREGS) and Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojna (RKVY), etc.

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Courtesy : The Times of India