Rijiju demands cent per cent grant for NE roads

Itanagar, May 19: Lok Sabha MP from Arunachal Pradesh Kiren Rijiju has urged Union Surface Transport Minister T R Ballu to implement the Central Road Fund (Amendment) Bill to all North East states by considering 100 per cent grant.

He said this was necessary as these states were unable to provide ten per cent of the state's share in executing road projects.

In a letter to the minister yesterday, the MP advocated that the provision of 50 per cent grant for roads of economic importance might be reviewed and changed to 100 per cent grant for Arunachal Pradesh considering its sensitive and strategic location.

The MP also suggested that the levy of cess on petroleum items of defence should be accounted to the state government and the cess collected on high speed diesel be used for funding the Prime Minister's Gram Sarak Yojana.

UNI