Cabinet approves independent office to assess social schemes

The Union Cabinet today approved the establishment of an Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) to undertake impartial and objective assessment of the government’s flagship social sector projects like the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act and the National Rural Health Mission.

These programmes and the funding of Panchayati Raj institutions account for more than half of the government’s total expenditure.

IEO will be an independent office attached to the Planning Commission under a governing board, chaired by the deputy chairman of the Planning Commission. It will advise the Planning Commission and the implementing agencies in developing appropriate management systems consistent with the evaluation objectives.

The Cabinet also approved an additional compensation of Rs 71.28 crore for the victims of the Bhopal gas leak tragedy.

The payment was one of the recommendations of the Group of Ministers (GoM) on the Bhopal gas leak disaster. The amount will be utilised to pay Rs 5 lakh each to 1,703 persons, who incurred permanent disability, and Rs 1 lakh each in 1,783 cases of temporary disability.

The ex-gratia amount is in addition to Rs 669 crore already provided by the government for payment to the specified categories of Bhopal gas victims as per its decision in June.

The government constituted the GoM in May to examine all the issues relating to Bhopal gas leak disaster, including remediation measures and make appropriate recommendations regarding relief and rehabilitation of the victims and their families.

The Cabinet also approved the winding up of the National Fund for Rural Development (NFRD) and transfer the residual funds to the Council for Advancement of People’s Action and Rural Technology, an autonomous body under the rural development ministry.

NFRD was set up in 1984 to mobilise funds from individuals, corporate and non-corporate bodies for undertaking rural development activities. The accruals to the fund were to be utilised for implementing projects in rural development.

The Cabinet also decided to modify the centrally-sponsored scheme on Integrated Watershed Management Programme to set up a Watershed Cell cum Data Centre in all programme districts.

CCEA decision
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved the setting up of five more mega food parks under the ongoing Infrastructure Development Scheme in addition to 10 ongoing projects, involving a total grant of Rs 250 crore. Each mega park is expected to benefit 6,000 farmers directly and 25,000-30,000 farmers indirectly. Around 30-40 food processing industries are expected to be set up in each such park.