Uttarakhand address wrong in Central records: Harish Rawat

DEHRADUN: With central funds of assistance yet to reach Uttarakhand despite repeated assurances, Chief Minister Harish Rawat took a dig at the Narendra Modi government saying the Centre seems to have got the address of the hill state wrong in its records.

"Every time we approach the Centre for financial help we are assured something will soon be done. But the help never reaches us. It seems Uttarakhand's address in central records is wrong," Rawat told reporters here yesterday.

However, the Chief Minister said he had not given up hope on receiving funds from the Centre for clean Ganga campaign and the 'Ardhakumbh mela'.

"Those (BJP) who keep talking about the Ganga and the Kumbh cannot turn away from their responsibility of providing funds for projects related to them. After all they are accountable to the people," he said.

Rawat has been demanding a central package of Rs 500 crore for the Ardhakumbh mela to be organised on the banks of the Ganga in Haridwar next year besides maintenance of Uttarkhand's special category status and financial assistance to the hill state in the ratio of 90:10 in centrally sponsored and externally aided projects.

His argument is that withdrawal of special status from the state or revising 90:10 ratio to 50:50 in centrally sponsored and externally aided projects as recommended by the 14th Finance Commission will not be fair for Uttarakhand which is still battling the effects of the 2013 disaster.

Rawat also took a dig at the five BJP MPs from the state advising them not to waste their energy over fighting with the state government but to utilise it for raising state specific demands in Parliament.