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Title: Alleged misuse of Backward Region Grant Fund in the country.
RAJKUMARI RATNA SINGH (PRATAPGARH): I would like to bring to your kind notice that in the year 2006, the Government of India started BRGF fund which was for the backward regions of India and over 250 districts were taken up and over 30 districts in Uttar Pradesh and my district Pratapgarh was taken up. But in Uttar Pradesh, we find that the work is going very slow. In all these years, only one set of funds has come. Money has reached Pratapgarh for only one year, that is, the year 2007-2008 of a sum of Rs.18.66 crore. For the year 2009-10, the funds have just been recently released about one week ago. The remaining years, 2006-07, 2008-09 and 2010-11, no funds have come and the schemes which have been taken specially for the years 2006-07 and 2008-09 do not have the same relevance now. Through you, I would request you to ask the Rural Development Ministry that in Uttar Pradesh where the funds are not going, these new set of things should be taken up and they should be sanctioned with the recommendations of the MPs. Just now, the MP is not being involved in the sanctioning process and we feel that as this is a fund completely given by the Government of India and the State Government has no financial involvement in this, there should be a new guideline given because this fund is only for five years. And only two years the money has come to Uttar Pradesh. The new guidelines should be taken and the funds should be sanctioned with the MP’s recommendation.
For the year 2007-08, the agencies to which these funds were given were not according to guidelines. So, I would request the Government to ensure that an inquiry is held, especially in Pratapgarh, to find out on what these funds have been spent for the year 2007-08.