PM assures Mayawati of Rs 80,000 cr financial package to UP

Lucknow, Feb 20 (UNI) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has assured Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati about giving 'generous' consideration on the state's demand for special financial package of Rs 80,000 crore, officials said here.

''The total resources available to UP under X1th Plan will be Rs 2,80,000 crore, amounting to 3.5 times the resources made available in the 10th Five Year Plan. Central assistance alone will be over Rs 98,000 crore during the Plan period, while the plan outlay would be Rs 1.81 crore,'' state cabinet secretary Shashank Shekhar Singh said here at a press conference.

The centre was seriously considering the financial package demanded by the state, including the package for the drought-hit Bundelkhand region, he said, adding that of the total plan outlay of Rs 1.81 crore, 86 per cent funds would be generated by the state, while the remaining 14 per cent would be funded by the centre.

''The committee under the chairmanship of B K Chaturvedi, Member, Planning Commission was assessing the documents of the financial package and a positive decision was expected soon,'' Mr Singh added.

During the meeting, the central officials had assured of releaing Rs 9,178 crore soon for the implementation of the centrally-sponsored schemes in the state during the current financial year, he said.

Meanwhile, Mr Singh said that 96 per cent payment of the sugarcane dues had been made by the mills with only about Rs 500 crore remaining with the private mill owners.

UNI MB ATI VD DB1831