New Delhi, June 21: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs today approved two special programmes under the Rashtriya Shram Vikas Yojna for Bihar and the Kalahandi- Bolangir and Koraput (KBK) districts in Orissa. Stating that the funds for the purpose for Bihar is estimated at Rs 1000 crore, an official spokesman told reporters after the meeting that resources under this scheme will be allocated on a special central assistance grant basis which will form part of the annual plan of the state. The fund level for the plan will be decided on a year-to- year basis by the planning commission on the basis of the gross budgetary support provided by the Finance Commission for the annual plan. The spokesman said after Bihar was re-organised it was decided to set up a dedicated cell in the planning commission to deal exclusively with Bihar development. This cell was created in May 2002 under the chairmanship of the deputy chairman of Planning Commission K C Pant, he said.
The programme under the Rashtriya Shram Vikas Yojna for the KBK districts was approved taking into consideration the problem of drought, connectivity, health and education.


A sum of Rs 200 crore has been allotted as special central assistance for these districts in Orissa which will be in the form of a 100 per cent grant during 2002-03.


He said this was an ongoing programme which is reviewed by a committee of secretaries in the Centre.

The fund requirement for the project under the Rashtriya Shram Vikas Yojna for these districts is estimated at Ts 250 crore per annuum which will work out to Rs 1000 crore for the remaining four years of the 10th plan period, the spokesman said.

Bureau Report