Budget is pro-poor and pro-people: Kyndiah

New Delhi, Mar 1 (UNI) Hailing Budget 2006-07 as ''pro-poor, pro-growth and pro-people'', Minister for Tribal Affairs and Development of the North-Eastern Region (DoNER) PR Kyndiah today said the NE Region had received ''a fair deal and due importance''.

The bulk of the resources from the eight Flagship Programmes -- the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan, Mid-day Meal Scheme, Rajiv Gandhi Drinking Water Mission, Total Sanitation Campaign, National Rural Health Mission, Integrated Child Development Services, National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission -- would flow to the NE Region securing it the due share of importance and focus, observed the Minister reacting to the Budget Proposals announced by Finance Minister P Chidambaram in Parliament yesterday.

The budgetary provision for the NE Region, he pointed out, had been increased from Rs 1,176.00 crore to Rs 1,350.00 crore and the Tribal Affairs Ministry gets Rs 1,656.90 crore -- up from Rs 1,498.82 crore.

The NEC Budget has been increased from Rs 461.50 crore to Rs 600.00 crore --a 30 per cent increase. The NEC budget had been stagnating for the past five years and this increase showed ''the deep commitment of the UPA government for the NE region, the Minister observed.

In addition to the budgetary allocations, the NE region shall be receiving 10 per cent of the plan Budget of each Ministry and Department for schemes and programmes in the region. For the flagship programmes alone, this would amount to an additional allocation of Rs 4,870 crore during 2006-07.

The total budget allocation for the NE region is Rs 12,041 crore which includes Rs 1,350 crore provided to the Ministry of the Development of the North Eastern Region (DONER). From Budget Estimates 2005-06 to BE 2006-07, the step up amounts to 18 per cent.

On a like-to-like basis, the allocations for schemes benefiting only SCs and STs have been enhanced by 14.5 per cent to Rs 2,902 crore and the allocations for schemes with at least 20 per cent allocation for SCs and STs have been enhanced by 13.9 per cent to Rs 9,690 crore.

A Special Accelerated Road Development Programme for the NE Region at an estimated cost of Rs 4,618 crore has been approved. For 2006-07, a sum of Rs 550 crore has been provided.

A Central Institute of Horticulture is to be established in Nagaland. The region will also benefit from enhanced allocation for Horticulture and renewed thrust on Food Processing Industry.

UNI DG LR KN2158