In the words of Mahatma Gandhi “Just as the universe is contained in the self, so is India contained in the villages”. For UPA Government, development of rural infrastructure remains a high priority area. For the year 2010-11, I propose to provide Rs 66,100 crore for Rural Development.
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme has completed four years of implementation during which it has been extended to all districts covering more than 4.5 crore households. The allocation for NREGA has been stepped up to Rs 40,100 crore in 2010-11. Bharat Nirman has made a substantial contribution to the upgradation of rural infrastructure through its various programmes. For the year 2010-11, I propose to allocate an amount of Rs 48,000 crore for these programmes.
Indira Awas Yojana is a popular rural housing scheme for weaker sections. Taking note of the increase in the cost of construction, I propose to raise the unit cost under this scheme to Rs 45,000 in the plain areas and to Rs 48,500 in the hilly areas. For the year 2010-11, the allocation for this scheme is being increased to Rs 10,000 crore.
As a part of the strategy to bridge the infrastructure gap in backward districts of the country, the Backward Region Grant Fund has proved to be an effective instrument. I propose to enhance the allocation to this fund by 26 per cent from Rs 5,800 crore in 2009-10 to Rs 7,300 crore in 2010-11. I have also provided an additional central assistance of Rs 1,200 crore for drought mitigation in the Bundelkhand region in the Budget.
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