More than Rs. 5.68 Cr. released for Sikkim by the Ministry of Minority Affairs

More than Rs. 5.68 Cr. released for Sikkim  by the Ministry of Minority Affairs under Multi-Sectoral Development Programme for the Welfare of Minorities
The Ministry of Minority Affairs has released (till September 30, 2011) a total amount of Rs. 648.44 crore to Uttar Pradesh under its Multi-sectoral Development Programme (MsDP) for the welfare of Minorities. U.P. has the maximum number of 21 Minority Concentration Districts (MCDs) under the Programme which is being implemented in 20 States/UTs. Out of this amount, as per the data available with the Ministry (as on September 30), the State has spent only Rs. 273.70 crore. West Bengal has 12 MCDs and an amount of Rs. 517.24 crore has been released to it, which is the second highest quantum of funds released under MsDP (as on September 30), and the State has been able to utilise Rs. 350.93 crore. The amounts (in Rs. crore) released to other States/UTs is as under:

Assam: 290.31; Bihar: 285.62; Manipur: 100.10; Haryana: 30.47; Jharkhand: 101.13; Uttarakhand: 30.41; Maharashtra: 51.80; Karnataka: 27.09; Andaman & Nicobar Islands: 6.22; Orissa: 25.58; Meghalaya: 26.06; Kerala: 7.55; Mizoram: 18.59; Jammu & Kashmir: 5.99; Delhi: 2.12; Madhya Pradesh: 13.98; Sikkim: 5.68 and Arunachal Pradesh: Rs. 44.28 crore.

Multi-sectoral Development programme (MsDP) for the welfare of the Minorities, being implemented by the Ministry of Minority Affairs, is a Special Area Development Programme.It has been implemented from 2008-09 in 90 Minority Concentration Districts (MCDs) identified on the basis of substantial minority population and relative backwardness in terms of selected socio-economic and basic amenities parameters based on data of 2001 Census. The primary objective of the programme is to improve the backwardness parameters which resulted in the identification of the districts as backward and to bring them at par with the national averages. Till date the Ministry has released Rs. 2,238.76 crore. (PIB)
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