Minister slams Centre cut in funds to Bihar under MNREGA,IAY

Charging the NDA government for discriminating against Bihar, state rural development minister Shrawan Kumar today claimed the Centre has drastically slashed funds to the state under the central flagship schemes.
"The Centre drastically slashed our demand for Rs 2,200 crore towards implementation of MNREGA in Bihar in 2014-15 by 46 per and in the end released only Rs 960 crore... It's a clear case of discrimination against our state," Kumar said in the legislative Assembly while replying to a debate on his department's budgetary demand for Rs 5,216.06 crore for 2015-16.
In contrast to reduction in central funds to Bihar under MNREGA, states like Chhatisgarh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh were given Rs 1,505.70 crore, 2,976.10 crore and 2,451 crore respectively in 2014-15, Kumar said trying to drive his point of the Centre's discriminatory attitude towards Bihar in contrast to favours being doled out to the BJP-ruled states.

In the same vein, Bihar's demand for Rs. 2700 crore for implementation of IAY in 2014-15 was slashed by 43 per cent at Rs. 1530.19 crore against which only Rs. 721.85 crore has been released thus far, the Rural Development Minister said.
"For the current fiscal, we have put up a demand for grant of Rs 1,683.21 crore under IAY, which the Centre has revised to 1,053.59 crore, a cut by 38 per cent, despite its direction to the state government to increase the number of beneficiaries under the rural housing scheme by ten per cent at 3.3 lakh units," Kumar said adding, only 1.89 houses could be constructed with the revised funds and questioned the rationale for reduction in funds under this head to Bihar with the country's highest number of BPL families.

The Centre had earlier reduced the target of housing units under the IAY at 2.75 lakh in 2014-15 against 6.05 lakh units for 2013-14 in Bihar, he said.