BHUBANESWAR: Even as the State Government is going ahead with announcement of one welfare scheme after another, it will find tough to implement the existing ones as Central assistance dries up.
After restructuring of the schemes, the Centre has asked the State Government to make budget provision for as many as 66 schemes indicating the Central share. This has led to uncertainty over implementation of the schemes.
Those schemes include flagship programmes including Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP), Rashtriya Krishi Vikash Yojana (RKVY), National Rural Drinking Water Programme, Nirmal Bharat Abhijan, Sarba Siksha Abhijan (SSA), Rashtriya Ucchatar Siksha Abhijan (RUSA) and National Scheme for Modernisation of police forces.
Finance Minister Pradip Kumar Amat said Central assistance for these schemes has been estimated at over Rs 11,500 crore for 2014-15. If the Centre resorts to cut or delays release of funds, the State will suffer on account of these schemes.
The State Government’s apprehension of non-release of Central fund in time is based on the fact that the Centre had provided a paltry amount against its share for the schemes under State plan, Central plan and Centrally sponsored schemes, Amat said.
According to a letter from the Planning Commission to the State Government, the Central share of MGNREGS and RUSA has been brought down to Rs 924.07 crore and Rs 110 crore respectively while the State budget had made allocation of Rs 1834.36 crore and Rs 300 crore for these schemes. The gap in Central share anticipated by the State Government under MGNREGS and RUSA is likely to be Rs 807 crore and Rs 131 crore respectively, he said.
Central share under AIBP had also come down drastically to Rs 38 crore and Rs 15.23 crore in 2012-13 and 2013-14 respectively against the expectation of Rs 1088.62 crore and Rs 967 crore respectively, he said.
Total Central assistance under the State plan, Central plan and Centrally sponsored plan had come down to Rs 5760.85 crore and 5691.3 crore in 2012-13 and 2013-14 respectively against expected Rs 8533.01 crore and 8756.43 crore. Amat said the State Government has requested the Centre to release adequate assistance in time.