Lucknow: Refuting Congress` accusation that
it is lax in using central funds for development of
Bundelkhand, the ruling BSP in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday presented
details of the works taken by it through its "limited
resources" and alleged that the Centre ignored its request for
a special economic package for the region.
"The Centre ignored our demands since 2007 for a special
package of Rs 80,000 crore for the region and only last year
announced a package of Rs 7,000 crore of which the state`s
share is around Rs 3,500 crores. Of the rest amount, Rs 1,600
crore will come in the next three years," UP cabinet secretary
Shashank Shekhar Singh told a press conference here.
"In the past four years, the state government has been
making concerted efforts through its limited resources to
deal with different problems in Bundelkhand," he said.
The state government has initiated various development
schemes for the region. Aiming at increasing the green cover
of the area, Rs 725 crore was spent to plant 10 crore
saplings, the cabinet secretary said.
Besides, the region now get 18 to 19 hours of
uninterrupted power supply due to efforts of the state
government in setting up power plants there.
A scheme has been initiated for BPL families under which
each family gets Rs 400 per month. As many as 14,00,50
families have been benefited from the scheme, Singh said.
The government has also given grants to farmers for fruit
cultivation, he said.
The cabinet secretary said the development of Bundelkhand
can be done only by making it a separate state.
Earlier in the day in Banda, Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused the Mayawati
government of being lax in using central grants for
development of Bundelkhand and ignoring the plight of Dalits
and other weaker sections.
PTI
