Almost half of Haryana now falls in the National Capital Region (NCR). With the inclusion of Bhiwani and Mahendergarh in the National Capital Region, the total area of Haryana has increased from 13,428 sq. kms. to 20,105 sq. kms. which is 45.47 per cent of the total area of the State.
A Government spokesman said that the State Government had made a request to the National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB) to include these two districts in the NCR in view of their proximity to Delhi and also because of the need to integrate the area with better connectivity so as to make the area a more vibrant economic entity.
This will also help in the planning of the region and also obtaining loan assistance for major infrastructure projects which could come up in this area. Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda had also requested for the inclusion of the districts of Jind and Karnal in the NCR, which was approved in-principle.
For development within the NCR, the Board provides financial assistance in the form of soft loans to the extent of 75 per cent of the project cost. Till date, NCRPB has provided loan assistance for 277 infrastructure projects worth `18,994 crores upto March, 2013 in the entire NCR. In the Haryana Sub-Region, 106 projects have already been completed with an estimated cost of `4,683 crores and a sanctioned loan amount of `2,581 crores.
Officials said at present, there are 76 ongoing projects under NCRPB funding in Haryana with an estimated cost of `9,238 crores and with a sanctioned loan amount of `3,728 crores.