Eight States share the amount of Rs. 25 crores announced in this year’s Central budget as additional Central assistance to States for their annual Plans for 1968-69, it was known to-day [June 5, New Delhi]. This amount has been specifically earmarked for helping those States which had to complete sizable irrigation projects during the current annual Plan period. This additional allocation of Rs. 25 crores increases the Central assistance to annual Plans of States in the current financial year from the pre-budget figure of Rs. 590 crores to Rs. 615 crores. Bihar gets the biggest slice of Rs. 6.7 crores from the extra Central assistance. Out of this, Rs. 6 crores have been allocated for the Gandak project and Rs. 70 lakhs for the Sone high level scheme. One crore of rupees out of the allocation for the Gandak project of Rs. 6 crores goes to Uttar Pradesh for completion of common Gandak schemes. Rajasthan gets Rs. 6.22 crores, of which Rs. 3.5 crores are intended for the Rajasthan Canal and Rs. 2.72 crores for the Rajasthan part of the Beas project. Andhra Pradesh gets Rs. 5.5 crores for the Nagarjunasagar project, Haryana Rs. 51 lakhs for the Haryana part of the Beas project, Orissa Rs. 2 crores for the Mahanadi delta project and Punjab Rs. 77 lakhs for the Punjab part of the Beas project. Apart from getting Rs. 1 crore from the allocation to Bihar for the completion of common projects on the Gandak, Uttar Pradesh gets Rs. 2 crores for its own schemes on the Gandak. West Bengal receives Rs. 1.3 crores for projects on the Kingsabati river.
