Government's 'Bringing Green Rrevolution in Eastern India' allocates Rs 40002 lakh this year

NEW DELHI: The Centre's much vaunted strategic initiative 'Bringing Green Revolution in Eastern India,' aimed at developing the high potential Eastern Region of the country for food grains production, launched in 2010-11, was allocated only Rs 40002 lakh this year as compared to Rs 43500 crore in 2010-11.

W Bengal, allocated highest funds at Rs 10237 crore last year, was only allocated Rs 7220 crore this year, MoS for agriculture and food processing Harish Rawat acknowledged to Lok Sabha today.

This, despite the apparent priority accorded to the programme which is currently being implemnented as a subsidiary scheme of the RKVY seven eastern states including Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh (Eastern) and West Bengal. The programme is intended to improve the crop productivity of the Region by addressing the underlying constraints.

The programme was started with the aim of de-emphasizing the focus on rice and wheat in the traditional Green Revolution(of the 70s) states of Punjab and Haryana and W UP, especially in view of the heightened soil degradation and stagnation of productivity and production in the last several years for both staples. Programmes like the National food security mission, (NFSM) and the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) were subsequently coined in order to urgently develop the productivity of the newer regions with high potential.

The State wise funds allocated during 2010-11 and 2011-12 are as under:

(Rupees in crore)