UP demands Rs 5000 crore assistance for Bundelkhand drought

Lucknow, Sep 6 (UNI) Even as the Centre was yet to decide on the demand of Rs 80,000 crore as special financial package for the state, the Uttar Pradesh government has asked for 5000 crore financial assistance in the name of Bundelkhand package.

''We are preparing the details of the Bundelkhand package to be sent to the Centre to cover up losses in the region due to the drought like situation ,'' said state revenue minister Phagu Chouhan here today.

He said the package would be similar to the one given to Vidharbha by the Centre last year.

The minister said the package was required as the average rainfall in the seven districts of Bundelkhand region was only between 30 to 50 per cent and there was a drought like situation.

In June, 2007, Chief Minister Mayawati had demanded a Rs 80,000 crore package for the state. Ms Mayawati also met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in this connection.

Meanwhile, the state government has hiked the demand of the financial assistance from the Centre for the flood- affected areas from Rs 2200 crore to Rs 2800 crore.

Mr Chouhan said the new estimate have been sent to the Centre after a team visited the state and assessed the losses in the floods.

The central team also toured nine flood-affected districts last month and had asked the state officials to clarify certain details about the package demanded for these districts.

The minister said the state government had already alloted Rs 84 crore for the relief and rescue works in the flood-hited areas with 16 districts getting Rs 5 crore each and rest four district Rs 1 crore each.

Mr Chauhan said for the first time all the districts have been given power to spend upto Rs 10 lakh for relief work in the affected areas.

The state government has also ensured that videography and photography would be made compulsory for verification of all the projects in the flood affected areas, he further added.

UNI