Itanagar: The Centre is contemplating expansion of the Backward Regions Grand Fund (BRGF) programme in all 17 districts of Arunachal Pradesh.
“The cabinet will soon take a decision to expand BRGF under special component of special schedule in 16 out of 17 districts in Arunachal Pradesh where thrust area will be on unidentified backward blocks,” union Tribal Affairs and Panchayati Raj minister Kishore Chandra Deo said. The minister informed this to a delegation from Pradesh led by Lok Sabha member Takam Sanjoy, who called on him at his New Delhi office Tuesday, official sources said here on Wednesday.
Till now Upper Subansiri district in Arunachal Pradesh has been covered under BRGF programme whereas other districts of the state have not been taken up by the Ministry.
The minister informed that the second phase of BRGF programme would be concentrated on those backward blocks of 16 districts and that this decision could be placed before the union cabinet.
He also informed the delegates that Panchayati Raj institutions would be the only agency, which would implement the BRGF programme in the state.
Deo also assured to provide an additional allocation of Rs 18.86 crore for the lone BRGF-covered district of Upper Subansiri under the ‘special component plan for Schedule Caste, Schedule Tribe Sub Plan’.
When the delegation urged the Union Minister to give his approval for setting up of 445 Panchayati Raj Ghars in the state in addition to the 67 Gram Panchayat Ghars for an amount of Rs 406.6 lakh under the Rajiv Gandhi Panchayat Sashaktikaran Abhiyan (RGPSA), Deo said that more than 400 Gram Panchayat Ghars would be funded at Rs 12 lakh in place of Rs 6 lakh provided recently. (PTI)
