Rs 2,839 crore spent under Bundelkhand special package so far

NEW DELHI: An amount of Rs 2,839.91 crore was spent out of Rs 3,755.08 crore released by government under the special package for drought mitigation strategies in the parched Bundelkhand region since November 2009, Parliament was informed today.

Initially, the Centre in November 2009 had approved a special package of Rs 7,266 crore for implementation of a drought mitigation strategy over a period of three years commencing from 2009-10 for integrated development of Bundelkhand regions in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.

The expenditure incurred so far in the region falling in Uttar Pradesh during the first phase and the second phase were Rs 990.90 crore and Rs 6.67 crore respectively, Planning Minister Rao Inderjit Singh said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.

Spendings under the package in the Bundelkhand region falling in Madhya Pradesh during the first and the second phase were Rs 1,696.44 crore and Rs 145.90 crore respectively.

The government released Rs 3,755.08 crore for the entire Bundelkhand region so far out of total allocation of Rs 8,048.96 crore.

The Bundelkhand region comprises of seven districts of Uttar Pradesh (Banda, Chitrakoot, Hamirpur, Jalaun, Jhansi, Lalipur and Mahoba) and six districts of Madhya Pradesh (Chhatarpur, Damoh, Datia, Panna, Sagar and Tikamgarh).

During the second phase, which started in the 12th Plan period (2012-17), an amount of Rs 6.67 crore was spent of Rs 250.17 crore released by the government in Bundelkhand area falling in Uttar Pradesh.

Similarly, an amount of Rs 145.90 crore was spent out of the released Rs 350.01 crore during the second phase in the Bundelkhand area falling in Madhya Pradesh.

The schemes under the package are monitored by the National Rainfed Area Authority.