Rs 12,000-cr UPA grant for Bihar

• Grant under BRGF spread over 4 years
• Govt move to wean away JD(U)
• It has got 20 votes, sufficient to get the Bills passed in LS
• Nitish has been demanding Special Status and a package of A Rs20,000 crore

Venkat Parsa

New Delhi: In a deft political move, the Congress-led UPA Government on Thursday night cleared a package of Rs 12,000 crore to Bihar. The special package for Bihar made under the Backward Region Grant Fund (BRGF) has been made at Rs 3,000 crore per year for the next four years. This marks substantial increase in the Central assistance under the BRGF from Rs 5,500 crore in the past, which has now been more than doubled to Rs 12,000 crore.

It is unlikely to wean away the JD (U), as the Centre has not conceded the primary demand of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for special category status for Bihar. It requires revisiting the Central criteria to take such a decision.

The government has considerably scaled down from the figure of Rs 20,000 crore sought by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, by sanctioning only Rs 12,000 crore, which will be disbursed over the next four years. The offer comes after Nitish served notice on BJP to declare their pm candidate by the year-end. JD (U) will withdraw support to NDA if Modi becomes their candidate.

After the DMK and earlier the Trinamool Congress pulling out of the UPA, the Congress move could mean the JD (U) would shore up the government in parliament. The government move may at least have this limited advantage.A The JD (U) has a contingent of 20 MPs in the Lok Sabha, which can keep the government afloat and help in passing the Budget and other important Bills, as the resumed Budget Session of Parliament commences from Monday.

Nitish Kumar staged the Adhikar Rally in the Ramlila Grounds in the Capital recently and followed it up with a meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram to press for his demand.