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Centre grants 9.7 crore to Punjab
From S. Satyanarayanan
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Jan 22 — In a bid to fill the critical gaps in physical and social infrastructure in border areas of Punjab, the Centre has allocated Rs 9.70 crore to the state government for the financial year 2000-2001.

The funds released under the Border Area Development Programme (BADP), a 100 per cent Centrally-sponsored programme under the Ministry of Home Affairs within an outlay of Rs 1100 crore in the ninth Five Year Plan, is to supplement the efforts of the State Government in infrastructural development in border areas, official sources said.

The developmental schemes undertaken by the state government include rural water supply, setting up of new primary health centres, setting up of polytechnics, construction of school buildings, police stations, creation of sports facilities, schemes for rural sanitation and training infrastructure in the dairy sector, etc, the sources said.

Under the schemes being implemented under the BADP on the western border, the Centre has released Rs 37.17 crore in the current financial year to Rajasthan to supplement the developmental schemes undertaken by the state in border areas.

On the other hand, Gujarat has been allocated Rs 9.87 crore under the BADP scheme.