Rawat demands release of over 1K cr for reconstruction work

Chief Minister Harish Rawat today demanded speedy release of Rs 1,087 crore out of the financial package recommended by the Cabinet Committee on Uttarakhand constituted soon after the 2013 natural disaster.
In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rawat said early release of the amount out of the package recommended by the cabinet committee was a must to carry out reconstruction work in the affected hill districts where hundreds of villages prone to disasters need to be relocated, an official release here said.
Rawat made a strong pitch for maintaining the funding pattern in the ratio of 90:10 especially in case of externally aided projects for the state, it said.

Pointing out that the circumstances due to which Uttarakhand was granted special category status still persisted, he said considering its strategic importance and the fact that 70 per cent of its area was located in inaccessible hillyterrain or covered by dense forests, funding pattern in the ratio of 90:10 needs to be continued.
He also sought funds worth Rs 1,200 crore out of the central pool to the state in compensation for the losses caused to it due to recommendations of the 14th Finance Commission.
The state has suffered a loss of Rs 1,700 crore due to the recommendations of the 14th Finance Commission in the transfer of funds from the Centre, he said.

Citing huge damage inflicted on basic infrastructure by a spell of heavy rains in different parts of the state during monsoon this year, he also requested the Prime Minister to provide a financial assistance of Rs 650 crore for reconstruction and repair of damaged infrastructure.