Governor clears special fund of Rs 100 cr for devpt boards

* However, this special fund has been restored for this year only
* 50% of the fund to be utilised for improving HDI of 125 select tehsils and 45 Class ‘C’ municipal councils
* Works related to roads, drainages, gymnasiums, community halls barred from this fund

Staff Reporter
Here is a good news -- the special fund of Rs 100 crore that was available to statutory development boards previously, has been restored. However, the bad news is -- it has been restored for the financial year 2014-15 only! Further, there are restrictions on how to utilise this special fund.
The statutory development boards of Vidarbha, Marathwada, and Rest of Maharashtra used to get special developmental fund of Rs 100 crore previously. Later, the Government had started releasing Rs 100 crore for all three boards. In the year 2011-12, as per the Governor’s directives dated March 10, 2011, the fund was scrapped. Maharashtra Government also chose to cite the Governor’s directives when the development boards started demanding restoration of the special fund. Then, the Government gave a reasoning that there was positive impact on development in the areas under these boards.
However, experts pointed out various untouched areas of development and lack of even the basic amenities, and again a request was moved to the Government to restore the special fund. The Government submitted the proposal to the Governor for consideration, and cleared it recently. Though the proposal is cleared by the Governor, it is learnt that the Congress-NCP led State Government has taken the step to project its ‘welfarist’ image in the developmentally backward areas of especially Vidarbha and Marathwada regions.
Prakash Dahake, Chairman of Vidarbha Statutory Development Board (VSDB), confirmed the development but said that he was yet to see the release order. Adv Madhukar Kimmatkar, Expert Member of VSDB, said that all three development boards had sought the fund. “We are yet to see the order, but if it has been issued, we will discuss the matter in VSDB meeting to be held soon. We just hope that the fund gets released before the Model Code of Conduct for Legislative Assembly election comes into effect,” he told ‘The Hitavada’.
Though the special fund of Rs 100 crore each has been cleared for Vidarbha, Marathwada, and Rest of Maharashtra statutory development boards, certain conditions have been imposed on its utilisation. Half of the fund is to be utilised for elevating the Human Development Index (HDI) of targeted 125 tehsils and 45 Class ‘C’ municipal councils in respective areas. While doing so, works to be approved in a tehsil or a municipal council area should not be more than Rs 3 crore. The remaining fund can be utilised on water supply schemes in tribal or drought-prone villages getting water supply through tankers, water conservation works with special focus on chain weirs, environment-related woorks and sewage disposal, schemes of women welfare, storage of agricultural and forest produce and value addition, etc.
However, the special fund cannot be utilised for roads, drainages, gymnasiums, community halls etc works. The boards have been asked not to recommend works more than the prescribed limit for each district. Even if a board recommends more works, respective District Collector has been directed ‘not to consider’ such proposals. Besides, an order issued by Hemant Malandkar, Deputy Secretary, Planning Department, states that the boards should propose only such works that can be completed within the financial year 2014-15. Further, a report regarding impact of the utilisation of special fund has to be submitted to the office of the Governor and Planning Department by May 30, 2015. 

(06-08-14)

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