Naxal threat: Govt to give money directly to district-07/08/2010s-

07/08/2010

Naxal threat: Govt to give money directly to districts

New Delhi : After spending hundreds of crores to develop Naxal areas, the Union government has now realised its initiatives have not produced desired results. It feels the need to change the manner in which money for development programmes is being released by the Centre. At present, money is released for specific central programmes like the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) or the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY).



But the government now wants to make money available directly to district administrations to implement locally-planned schemes for better dividends. The government has decided to hand over an annual grant of about Rs 50 crore each to 60-odd district administrations in naxal-affected areas. It will also give them freedom to plan and execute projects within an overall developmental framework defined by the central government.

Home Minister P Chidambaram said on Saturday: "This is not to criticise the detailed Planning Commission plans... but the fact is that the interventions that we have been contemplating and executing are most likely not improving the human development index of the populations living in these naxal-affected areas. Nothing that we are doing is making any significant change in their lives."



He said: "The interventions that we make must be able to bring about a qualitative change and at least provide the most basic facilities -- education, healthcare, sanitation, nutrition, connectivity -- to the local populations. Assuming that these largely tribal populations do not need these facilities is completely wrong."

Chidambaram said the Home Ministry, in partnership with the Planning Commission, had decided to provide "large amounts" of money - nearly Rs 45 to Rs 50 crore every year -- to about 60 of the most backward and disturbed districts, including the 35 worst affected by naxal violence. This money would be in addition to all present initiatives of the central government in Maoist-infested areas.



Chidambaram said: "If the district administration decides it would be good to give scholarships to 100 students from the most backward areas, it can go ahead and spend this money. It does not need to worry whether the grant would fit into any existing scheme. The district administration would be given complete flexibility and independence to spend the money in the most fruitful way."

At present, the Planning Commission has an Integrated Action Plan through which it makes special grants under 13 flagship programmes of the government, relating to drinking water supply, housing, sanitation, rural employment guarantee scheme and several others.



Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia, who also attended the conference, said the details of the new model of funding would be decided in the next one week and would be initiated in the current calendar year.

Source: The Indian Express