U’khand welcomes Sushma’s support

DEHRADUN: Uttarakhand Congress has welcomed Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj’s statement on granting Green Bonus to Uttarakhand even as the party has strongly urged the Centre to grant the much-needed special category status to the state.

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, May 29

Uttarakhand Congress has welcomed Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj’s statement on granting Green Bonus to Uttarakhand even as the party has strongly urged the Centre to grant the much-needed special category status to the state.

Addressing a press conference in Dehradun today, Uttarakhand Congress media in-charge Surendra Kumar said while Chief Minister Harish Rawat had welcomed the Centre’s move to provide Green Bonus to Uttarakhand, he has also expressed concern over fall in funds for the state under Central Government schemes.

Surendra Kumar, quoting Chief Minister Harish Rawat, said the Chief Minister wanted to bring to the knowledge of the Union Minister that last year, the state government had received just Rs 24 crore for police modernisation. Thus, around Rs 110 crore had been received for police modernisation within the last five years by the state government. Further, no amount has been received by the state government under this head from the Central Government till date this year, he said.

He said despite repeated requests made by the state government over the last one year for fund allocation for the Ardh Kumbh to be organised in 2016, the state government has not received any amount although the Ardh Kumbh Mela is a matter of reputation for the entire country.

The Chief Minister has asserted that it seems the BJP state leadership in Uttarakhand has not presented all the facts concerning the state before the Union Minister. Eight projects have been completely rejected for Central financial aid in the Union Budget.

The funding pattern has been changed for 24 schemes, which has gone against Uttarakhand.