Nitish seeks Rs 24,000 crore for Bihar

PATNA: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today urged the Planning Commission to allocate Rs 24,000 crore as the annual plan size for the state for 2011-12.

At a meeting with Planning Commission member Narendra Jadhav, he also demanded a grant of Rs 3,145 crore for Bihar from the Backward Region Grant Fund, official sources said.

The Centre should consider giving more freedom to the state government for utilisation of allocation from the Planning Commission to ensure effective implementation of various schemes and development projects as per local requirements, the sources quoted the CM as saying.

The Centre should set up an independent commission to identify the number of people under BPL in Bihar and emphasised on cash payment to the beneficiaries instead of food grains, the sources said.

Jadhav appreciated the development works being undertaken by the state government said the Commission would sympathetically consider the requirements, the sources added.