Calcutta, Feb. 19: Rural development minister Jairam Ramesh today said the Centre had "either sanctioned" or was "in the process of sanctioning" Rs 6,500 crore for Bengal during the current fiscal for developing village roads, providing drinking water and preparing biometric cards for job-scheme beneficiaries.
"There will be no dearth of funds if there are proper proposals. We have already either sanctioned or (are) in the process of sanctioning projects worth around Rs 6,500 crore during 2011-12," the Union minister said in Calcutta, adding that Bengal could be allotted "up to Rs 7,000 crore" more during the next financial year.
The comments ' in the backdrop of complaints that the Centre had not honoured its promise of a development package for the state ' came on the sidelines of an international conference on water quality with the focus on arsenic contamination.
Officials in the state government said the funds would be released in phases.
Panchayat and public health engineering minister Subrata Mukherjee said all projects relating to rural roads and water supply his departments had sent to the Union ministry had been sanctioned.
"The Centre has sanctioned whatever projects we sent to them. As a matter of fact, Ramesh has gone out of his way to help Bengal," Mukherjee told The Telegraph.
Mukherjee said the sanctioned projects include four major water treatment plants and construction of over 550km of rural roads under the Prime Minister's Gram Sadak Yojana scheme.
Of the four water treatment plants ' each will cost over Rs 1,000 crore ' three will be set up in Bankura, Purulia and South 24-Parganas. "These plants are expected to be completed within the next two years," an official said.
About implementation of the rural employment guarantee scheme, Ramesh said the primary responsibility lay with gram panchayats.
Ramesh said things had improved considerably since Mukherjee took over as the state's panchayat minister from Chandranath Sinha in December.
"Till December last year, detailed project reports of only 19km of rural roads were prepared and submitted, while in the last two months detailed project reports of another 540km has been submitted," Ramesh said.
Ramesh has also agreed to Mukherjee's proposal to set up an international standard institute in Calcutta to study water quality with focus on arsenic mitigation.
"We will provide financial and technical support while the state will provide land for the project," he said. "Arsenic is the most serious water problem which is not restricted to Bengal. If the state offers land, we can open an international study centre on arsenic here with full central grant."
Mukherjee said his department had land in New Town and Madhyamgram, some 20km from Calcutta, either of which could be used to set up the study centre.
Ramesh also said a high-powered committee with both central and state officials would be set up to review the progress of the "master plan" launched in 2006 to supply arsenic-free drinking water in Bengal villages.
He said Rs 2,750 crore had been set aside for the project and the money was being released in phases. The project will continue till 2014.
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