MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PANCHAYATI RAJ
(SHRI NIHAL CHAND)
(a) : The details of 272 districts identified in various States including Madhya Pradesh under the District Component of Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF), are at Annexure-I.
(b): The details of funds released, utilised and unspent balance under the BRGF since its inception are at Annexure-II.
(c): With effect from this financial year (2015-16), BRGF has been delinked from budgetary support of the Central Government.
(d): Yes, Madam.
(e): An independent review-cum-evaluation of the BRGF was undertaken by the World Bank in eight States in July 2009. The World Bank in its report noted that the BRGF had stimulated a process of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs)/ Urban Local Bodies strengthening, particularly in poor States and districts, and laid the foundation for achieving several of its objectives. The report also noted that the projects are generally addressing local needs within core local government mandates in a relatively cost effective manner.
The Planning Commission had also undertaken an evaluation study of BRGF covering the period 2006-07 to 2010-11 carried out by M/s Institute of Human Development, New Delhi in 16 States. The evaluation study looked into various aspects of the Programme including financial and physical progress, role of PRIs, convergence of resources from various schemes, accrued benefits to the target group/area, training, monitoring mechanism, etc., and assessed the impact of the scheme on the beneficiaries.
The BRGF was demand driven and no physical targets were fixed for the same. Funds under the Programme were untied and released on the basis of the Annual District Plan consolidated and approved by the District Planning Committee in each of the backward districts identified under the Programme. As per the progress reports received in the Ministry, funds under the BRGF Programme have been utilised for development of infrastructure facilities like construction of anganwadi centres, panchayat ghars, roads, culverts, bridges, community halls, water supply, etc., in the backward districts.
(f) & (g): Yes, Madam. From financial year 2015-16, the State Governments are to extend necessary support for the BRGF from their higher share of resources. A grant of Rs. 2,87,436 crore has also been provided to the rural and urban local bodies for the period 2015-2020 by the Central Government on the recommendations of the Fourteenth Finance Commission for provision of basic services such as drinking water, sanitation, local body roads, footpaths, playgrounds and other infrastructure within the assigned functions under relevant legislations.
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