Nitish govt could not even score pass marks: Raghuvansh

Patna, Apr 5 (UNI) Union Rural Development Minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh today caimed that the Nitish Kumar-led NDA government in Bihar could being able to score even the ''pass marks'' in terms of developmental activities in the state.

Outlining the details of the funds sanctioned by the UPA government since it came to power at the Centre, Prof Singh told newspersons here that Rs 10,352 crores has been sanctioned to Bihar till date for rural development schemes, but Rs 2129 crore of developmental funds were still langushing.

Laying special stress on road construction work in the state, he said the state government had miserably failed in implementing the schemes as it did not issue the tenders even after passage of six months of sanctioning of the scheme worth Rs 522 crores for construction of incomplete roads as well as upgradation of roads.

The minister said 40,000 km roads had to be constructed in Bihar under the Bharat Nirman Yojana, of which 13,000 km construction work had been allotted to the Central agencies and the rest 27,000 km to the state government, which had not even sent the Detailed Project Report (DPR).

The pace of road construction work was too slow and in three years the NDA government hardly constructed 1,225 km roads, he alleged.

Prof Singh asked the state government to submit the DPR for road construction at the earliest and assured to extend full financial support for the execution of the schemes.

Exasperated over the ''slow'' developmental work in Bihar, he said that it lagged far behind other states as the performance of those states was up to the mark, while Bihar including some of the Northeastern states failed to achieve even the ''pass'' marks in terms of developmental activities.

MORE UNI RS-RH LL SY VC1535