'Amend constitution for poor upper caste quota'

New Delhi, July 20: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and demanded the poor among the upper caste be given advantage of reservation as enjoyed by the Schedule Castes and other weaker sections. ''I requested the Prime Minister that quota for weaker sections should also include the economically weaker upper caste and if needed the constitution be amended for the purpose,''she told in a news conference after meeting Dr Singh.

Ms Mayawati also demanded that reservation be put under 9th Schedule of the constitution.

The UP CM sought Rs 80,000 crore from the centre for the development of the state and a special package for the most backward regions of Purvanchal and Bundelkhand.

The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister also asked for Rs 9400 crore for developing infrastructural facilities in Purvanchal and Rs 4700 crore for Bundelkhand regions. She urged for special assistance for some selected schemes, to the tune of Rs 22,000 crore, chalked out for providing employment opportunities under the farming and other sectors.

Other requests included assistance for Rs 6500 crore for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj and Rs 13,300 crore for other important proposals for integrated development of the state.

Ms Mayawati said the economic assistance was required to bring STs SCs, OBCs, religious minorities and poor of the upper castes into the mainstream of development. To acheive that, she asked for special assistance of Rs 23,800 Crore.

She said she told the Prime Minister that inadequate infrastructural facilities, lack of health services, low rate of literacy and scant capital for investment were the main reasons for the state's backwardness.

The Chief Minister said she had written a letter to the Prime Minister in connection with these issues and today she apprised him of the situation personally.

Ms Mayawati also requested the Prime Minister to provide 'Special Area Incentive Package' to the industries to be set up in Purvanchal and Bundelkhand, which were the backwardmost regions.

Under the package, she demanded exemption from exice duty for 10 years, 100 per cent expemtion from income tax during the first five years and 30 per cent exemption from income tax for the succeeding five years and 15 per cent subsidy on capital investment.

She said a target of 10 per cent growth rate had been fixed for 11th five year Plan to bring the state at par with other states, and to bring down the number of below poverty line people by half.

Ms Mayawati said she pointed out to the Prime Minister that the special economic package to Uttarakhand, carved out of Uttar Pradesh, was resulting in migration of industries to the hill state, so similar package for Bundelkhand and purvanchal, whose geographival condition was akin to Uttarkhand, should also be given.

UNI