After blaming the Congress-led State Government for slower pace of development, the leader of Opposition in Vidhan Sabha Ajay Bhatt has alleged that the State Government has failed to spend sanctioned funds under free flow fund scheme in the Garhwal and Kumaon divisions of Uttarakhand. He lamented over the issue that due to the callous approach of the State Government, the allocation of funds for the next financial year under different beneficiary projects would be reduced by the Union Government for the State.
While addressing the mediapersons in a conference held in Dehradun on Wednesday, Bhatt said it is a matter of grim concern that Ministers are reviewing the development meeting of various Government departments in hastily. “In a recent visit by Minister in-charge of Kumaon Surendra Singh Negi reviewed 54 Government departments in a span of two to three hours in Bageshwar and Almora,” he said, adding that development activities came to halt in the mountainous parts of Garhwal and Kumaon
division of Uttarakhand.
Bhatt has alleged that BJP had spent `418 crore under MNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) as it is free flow fund scheme in 2011-12 whereas the Congress Government has spent only `241 crore so far in the present financial year. Bhatt further alleged that the State Government has failed to receive beneficiary funds from the Union Government under BADP (Border Area Development Programme resulted no development activities were carried out in Champawat, Pitthoragarh, Chamoli, Uttarkashi,
Udham Singh Nagar districts of Uttarakhand.
According to him, the proposed budget Under BADP was Rs 36 crore whereas the State Government has only sent `29 crore as Budget resulted funds were not utilised for the welfare of defence personnel, who are posted in the tough mountainous areas of the State. Bhatt further alleged that the State Government has only spent `80 crore out of `165 crore under PMGSY (Pradan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna). He said that the State Government has recently received `430 crore for various development projects and it would be very difficult for the State Government
to utilise the funds for the development activities in the Garhwal and Kumaon
divisions of Uttarakhand.
Bhatt cleared that the development projects are came to halt in the state resulted those villagers who are living in the remote parts of Uttarakhand are forced to migrate to other States.