Most states misutilising AIBP loans: Report

New Delhi, May 18 (UNI) The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Water Resources Ministry expressed dismay over the poor performance of Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) and said the scheme had failed to achieve its intended objective because a majority of the states in the country were diverting funds.

In its report, the Committee said the scheme had failed to achieve its goal despite spending Rs 13,823 crore since its inception in 1996. Only five states -- Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh -- had submitted compliance reports among the 15 states that had misutilised the Central Loan Assistance (CLA) under AIBP according to the Comptroller and Auditor General's report in 2004.

The Committee desires the government to obtain the detailed replies from the defaulter states at the earliest and stop further release of CLA if they failed to submit requisite information within three months.

The Committee said of the 41 projects only 14, six major and six medium, were completed after receiving the AIBP and six continued to receive CLA as they were yet to achieve 90 per cent of the targeted potential.

The Committee wanted the Planning Commission to stop immediately all allocation of funds to those states where remaining 21 projects were located. CLA should be stopped for all projects that had attained 90 per cent or more irrigation potential. The Committee was of the view that government should take up only projects for implementation under the AIBP which would be able to create the magnitude of irrigation potential envisaged for the particular year and urged the government to incorporate while signing the MoUs with the states.

UNI MCN RL HT1715