The state government clarified on Wednesday that there was no cut on the budgetary grants of the state women commission as reported by a section of the media.
According to a statement issued here the funds allotted to the women commission in the state in 2012-13 was Rs 2,52,49,000 which rose to Rs 2,73,34,000 in the fiscal 2013-14 and now in the current fiscal the budget stands at Rs 3,05,00,000.“There was no cut in the budgetary grants in the women commission as reported in some media,” official said in the statement.
Chief Minister Akhilesh too, during a function in the state capital here contradicted the media reports. ‘We have not reduced the budget of the women commission. New vehicles in my fleet were purchased after the old ones were worn out,’ he told reporters.A media report quoting a RTI activist claimed that the budget of the women’s commission between financial years 2011-12 and 2013-14 was reduced by over 85 per cent. In 2011-12, the commission got Rs. 5.1 crore financial grant but this went down to Rs. 4.16, crore of which Rs. 3.9 crore was spent.
In 2013-14, the allocation was further slashed to a mere Rs.75 lakh, the RTI activist had claimed.The opposition parties had criticized the Uttar Pradesh Government over this cut forcing the state government to issue a clarification.