Central funding in flagship schemes reduced by half

Thursday, 19/03/2015

http://paper.hindustantimes.com/epaper/viewer.aspx

CHANDIGARH: The Centre has reduced its overall fiscal contribution to almost half in the centrally-sponsored flagship schemes for Punjab, even winding up Backward Region Grant Funds (BRGF), Urban Infrastructure and Governance (UIG), e-Governance Action Plan and Rajiv Aawas Yojana schemes.

As per the state’s annual plan, the Centre’s overall share outlay in its flagship schemes has reduced from ` 6,181 crore in 2014-15 to ` 3,740 crore for 2015-16. While finance minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa, at a press conference here, said that there was “no clarity” as of now with regard to the fate of the centrally sponsored schemes, the annual plan revealed the Centre’s diminishing allocation for a handful of schemes, like a mere ` 5 crore against an outlay of ` 728 crore in the previous fiscal for the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) that has been re-christened as the Urban Infrastructure and Governance (UIG) scheme.

The outlay for the 100% centrally sponsored Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) has been reduced to less than half from ` 500 crore (in 2014-15) to ` 230 crore for the coming fiscal, while that for the National Rural Drinking Programme has been curtailed from ` 100 crore in 2014-15 to ` 25 crore.

Similarly, the central funding under the National Health Mission (NHM) has been reduced to ` 375 crore from ` 450 crore in 2014-15, and that under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) reduced to ` 445 crore from ` 550 crore in 2014-15. Now Punjab would have to contribute 50% ( ` 445 crore) funding under the SSA in place of 35% in 201415, to fully utilise the approved ` 890 crore plan.

The state would also get less — from ` 70 crore to ` 50 crore —in the ensuing fiscal, under the National Food Security Mission.

The Centre has wound up its 100% sponsored Backward Region Grant Fund (BRGF). The funds under this districtoriented scheme have been ` 27.2 crore in this outgoing financial year. The National River Conservation programme, with 75:25 Centre-state ratio, has also been wound up for which ` 270 crore was approved last year (2014-15 fiscal). The 100% central funding for the Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram Yojana has also been reduced from ` 50 crore to ` 25 crore.

The National Mission on Food Processing scheme with 75% central funding has been done away with. As many as ` 30 crore was approved for Punjab under this scheme in 2014-15, of which only ` 5 crore has been utilised.

The central funding of the MGNREGS has been brought down to ` 212 crore from ` 225 crore.