Funds for MGNREGA, PMGSY, Social Welfare Schemes Curtailed During Last Two Years

Central  Allocation  to  J & K

Jammu, 29/May/2016: During the last 2 years, the union government has curtailed financial allocation to Jammu and Kashmir State for various central sponsored schemes.

In different  communications received by RTI Activist Raman Sharma under right to information act from different ministries of government of India it has been revealed that the Union government has curtailed its funding to the Jammu and Kashmir government even for  flagship programs like Mahatama Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, MGNREGA, Pardhan Mantri Grameen Sadak Yojna and for social welfare schemes like Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme, Indira Gandhi National Window Pension Scheme, Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme, National Family Benefit Scheme and  Annapurna etc.

As per the RTI information provided Rural Connectivity division, ministry of Rural  Development , Government of India , during the financial year 2011-12, for implementation of much talked Pradhan Mantri Grameen Sadak Yojna or PMGSY Scheme, the GOI provided a financial assistance of Rs. 762 Crore to the state of Jammu and Kashmir , which though saw a steep reduction in the following year and only an amount of Rs. 266 Crore was provided to the state during the period 2012-13. In year 2013-14 again the then government increased the amount to double and provided financial aid of Rs. 523.24 Crore for the PMGSY.

However during the financial year, 2014-15 and 2015-16, the central assistance remained Rs. 416.60 Cr and Rs. 488 Crore respectively. It is pertinent to mention here that under the PMGSY scheme  the rural habitation of  Jammu and Kashmir state (as special category state) having population of 250 persons or above is eligible for road connectivity though for most of other states the minimum population criteria is 500 persons.

Similarly for the  implementation of National Social Assistance Program for implementation of Social welfare schemes likes IGNOAPS, IGNWPS and others for the welfare of the disables, senior citizens, widows etc the government of India provided an amount of Rs. 3453.06 Lacs during the financial year 2014-15 and Rs. 3435.47 Lacs during the last financial year, the central assistance to the Jammu and Kashmir state  for the same schemes was Rs. 4173.95 Lacs during the financial year 2013-14.

For the implementation of much talked Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment  Guarantee Act, MGNREGA also the Union government has limited its funding to the state of Jammu and Kashmir during the last 2 years, during the financial year 2014-15 the ministry of Rural Development (GOI) released only an amount of Rs. 52171.08 Lacs which was miserly increased in the year 2015-16 where the government released an amount of Rs.  55801.83 Lacs for implementation of MGNREGA scheme in Jammu and Kashmir State.  However during the previous years  the Union Government had provided a  whooping amount for MGNREGA scheme and during the financial year 2013-14 (Rs. 60315.73 Lacs) , in Financial year 2012-13 (Rs. 76276.16 Lacs) and  in Financial Year 2011-12 Rs. 78130.96 Lacs were provided to the state government.