Allocation increased for UPA govt's flagship programmes

New Delhi, Feb 29: The Flagship programmes of the UPA government got enhanced allocation in the General Budget 2008-09.

Presenting the Budget in the Lok Sabha today, Finance Minister P Chidambaram said allocation had been increased for the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS), the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), the Rajiv Gandhi Drinking Water Mission (RGDWM) and the Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC).

He asserted that more money would be provided to meet the legal guarantee of employment under NREGS.

Mr Chidambaram said the NREGS would be rolled out to all 596 rural districts in India. Initially an amount of Rs 16,000 crore would be provided for this purpose.

The allocation for JNNURM would be increased from Rs 5,482 crore to Rs 6,866 crore.

Similarly, the allocation for RGDWM has been enhanced from Rs 6,500 crore to Rs 7,300 crore.

An amount of Rs 1,200 crore has also been provided for the TSC.

UNI