Tripura govt unhappy with Centre for slow progress of EAP

Agartala, Mar 18 (UNI) The Tripura government today expressed resentment over the progress of fund flow in the state during 2007-08 under Externally Aided Projects (EAP) while accusing the Centre of failing to fulfil its promise.

Talking to UNI here, state Finance Minister Badal Choudhury said out of the Rs 120 crore, promised by the Planning Commission under EAP, only Rs eight core was released to the state in the last fiscal and as many as six projects were still pending with different Union Ministries.

''Besides the World Bank, the ADB and German Bank was approached for funds to the state and as per the system all projects were sent to Delhi for endorsement by the respective Ministries but no satisfactory progress was reported so far,'' Mr Choudhury said.

He alleged that the state had received about Rs 10 crore less than the actual demand under the Centrally Sponsored Schemes.

Moreover, only Rs 22 crore were released to Tripura in the last fiscal under accelerated power development programme, for which it had been announced that Rs 46.30 crore would be sanctioned.

Mr Choudhury stated that the governement had proposed Rs 548.71 crore as supplementary budget for the 2007-08 yesterday to recover the gap between receipt and expenditure of the state along with the vote on account of Rs 1,15,104.35 lakh for the first three months of 2008-09.

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