Centre grants Rs 46.56 crore to NE states

Agartala, Apr 11 (UNI) The Union Ministry of Rural Development has granted Rs 46.56 crore to five North Eastern states - Tripura, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim - to facilitate safe drinking water for the states.

Official sources said here today that the funds had been provided under the Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water Mission (RGNDWM), a centrally-sponsored Accelerated Rural Water Supply Programme (ARWSP), in the last quarter of the fiscal 2007-08.

Tripura Rural Development Minister Jitendra Choudhury said Tripura would get Rs 15 crore while Meghalaya was granted Rs 10.83 crore, Mizoram Rs seven crore, Nagaland Rs 7.0257 crore and Sikkim Rs 6.71 crore towards additional funds under the ARWSP (Normal).

The Ministry communique said up to 15 per cent of the funds released under the sanction were to be utilised for operations and maintenance and up to five per cent of the funds would be spent for taking sustainability measures.

The states were requested to delegate powers for management of Rural Water Supply Schemes through the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) for effective implementation of the project as well as coverage of rural habitations and rural schools.

In a seperate sanction, Tripura received about Rs 100 crore for setting up community recreation centres, shopping complexes and malls in three sub-divisions - Kamalpur, Amarpur and Dharmanagar - while Rs 43 crore was sanctioned for Belonia for roads and storm water management.

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