Question : ROAD CONNECTIVITY TO RELIGIOUS AND TOURIST PLACES

(a) whether the Government provides financial assistance to State Governments for providing road connectivity to religious and tourist places in the country;

(b) if so, the details of the financial assistance provided to various States including Madhya Pradesh during each of the last three years and the current year;

(c) whether the Government has received any proposal to construct new expressway from Patna to Bodh Gaya and Patna to Nalanda in Bihar to connect a few religious and tourist places; and

(d) if so, the details thereof alongwith the action taken by the Government thereof?

THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS (DR. TUSHAR A. CHAUDHARY)

(a) The Union Government provides financial assistance to the State Governments for development of State Roads projects under Inter State Connectivity (ISC) schemes facilitating inter-State connectivity between States and under Economic Importance (EI) schemes for roads either directly connecting to or leading to an important market centre, economic zone, industrial, agricultural region, tourist centre, religious centre and the like where significant economic activity is being undertaken. Whereas the projects of ISC are fully funded by the Union Government, project of EI are funded to the extent of fifty percent of the approved project cost by the Union Government and the balance fifty percent is borne by the respective State Government.

(b) The details of the allocations of funds and releases made to the State Governments and Union Territories (UTs), including the State Government of Madhya Pradesh, under the EI&ISC schemes during the last three years and the current year are as follows: -

(Amount in Rs. Crore)

Year	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11	2011-12$
Allocation Release	Allocation Release	Allocation Release	Allocation Release

States	185.74 175.65	198.50 104.35	223.88 208.22	249.75 24.43
and UTs
Madhya	0.00 0.00	6.07 0.00	41.28 41.28	15.00 0.00
Pradesh
$- Upto 31.10.2011.