After months of haggling with the Centre, Bahujan Samaj Party supremo and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati finally got Rs 80,000 crore for her state on Monday during her meeting with the Prime Minister. However, this fund will not be in the form of a separate package, but a part of the overall resources being provided to UP under the 11th Plan.The decision came despite the fact that the Planning Commission expert committee, headed by B K Chaturvedi, which looked into Mayawati’s demands, observed that Rs 1,81,000 crore resource for UP would need “major increase in the absorptive capacity, improvement in governance structures and major reform of the delivery system.” “However, if Rs 80,000 crore, as requested by the state Government is added to it, the total investment of Rs 2,60,000 crore will certainly be unmanageable and clearly beyond the capacity of the state to spend,” the expert committee had added.The announcement by the PMO came a month after Mayawati threatened to withdraw her support to the Congress-led UPA Government if it did not meet her demands, which also included Rs 80,000 crore for the state.“The total resources available to the state under the 11th Plan will be Rs 2,80,000 crore, amounting to 3.5 times the resources made available in the 10th Five Year Plan. Central assistance will be over Rs 80,000 crore during the Plan period,” said a release issued by the PMO after Mayawati’s meeting with the PM. The release added that the PM has assured the UP CM that a special plan for development of Bundelkhand region will be prepared with the help of the Planning Commission. Rs 2,80,000 crore allotted to UP for 11th Plan is about Rs 1,00,000 crore more than the expected Rs 1,81,000 crore, which was worked out in the draft plan document approved by the Planning Commission as the total resources for the state during the 11th Plan.“Since the last few days we have had disagreements with the Centre over some issues. In early January, we had announced that we might think of withdrawing our support to the Government at the Centre. But I personally thought over it and discussed with my party leaders and decided to put forth our demands to the PM once again,” said Mayawati after her meeting with the PM.
