Relax funding norms in irrigation grants for Chhattisgarh: Raman

New Delhi, May 29 (UNI) Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh today called for his state to be accorded special dispensation under the Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme(AIBP), like Uttarakhand, as its irrigation potential was 28 per cent against the national average of 48 per cent.

''Backward states like Chhattisgarh with irrigation potential at half the national average would require differential criteria with regard to investment in irrigation so as to come up to the national level,'' the Chief Minister said, speaking at the 53rd meeting of the National Development Council here.

Citing the case of Uttarakhand,which receives 90 per cent grant under this scheme, he said therefore, the funding norms of the existing centrally-sponsored schemes, particularly AIBP, needed to be relaxed as part of equity promoting measure.

Welcoming the initiative of the Central Government to bring 10 million hectares under assured irrigation in the next four years under the Bharat Nirman Programme, Dr Singh said to achieve this, objective funding under the AIBP had to be stepped up adequately and since the return on these investments were meagre, resource flow had to be primarily of non-debt creating nature.

In order to achieve the projected target by 2009, the funding norm of the AIBP may be further relaxed to include all such schemes which can be completed within the next two years, he said.

Dr Singh urged the Planning Commission to make such projects, that have been started by the Government for forest clearance, eligible for financing under the AIBP. He pointed out that the major constraint in creating additional potential through major and medium irrigation schemes is the forest clearance procedure. ''It has now become dificult to take up any such scheme because of vast area under forest cover,'' he said.

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