The Samajwadi Party government in Uttar Pradesh has failed miserably in ensuring proper implementation of social and rural sector schemes, as the Planning Commission in one of its reports revealed that expenditure on UPA’s flagship programmes is “very slow” in the state.
Sources quoting the report revealed: “The balance fund available with the state government is nearly `10,400 crore as on November 2012 and of which expenditure was particularly low under Pradhanmantri Gram Sadak Yojna (PMGSY) and Central Rural Sanitation Programme.”
As UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav is scheduled to arrive at Yojna Bhawan on Thursday for the annual plan discussion for 2013-14 with Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia, sources indicated that the plan panel is all set to give a “pep talk” to the “young Samajwadi leader” to ensure that the state does not falter on social schemes under his belt. According to the background note prepared for the meeting, sources said UP lags behind the national average on almost all social and economic indicators. “UP’s share in the national GDP has declined from 8.8 percent in 2004-05 to 8 per cent in 2011-12. There is also a widening gap between per capita income of the state and the country,” sources said. As per the data prepared by the Central Statistical Organisation, UP’s per capita income is `20,708 against the national average of `43,624 and is ranked 26th in the country.
Sources said it has also been observed that UP’s birth rate, death rate and infant mortality rate are “far higher than all India averages.” They said, “Incidentally IMR and Maternal Mortality Rate are particularly very high in 21 minority community dominated districts, which is a major cause of concern.” Despite the fact that UP is blessed with a number of big and small rivers including Ganga, Yamuna, Ghaghra, Gomti and Saryu, over extraction of ground water for irrigation in the state has become a major cause of concern, as more than 100 block have been identified as “dark,” sources revealed.