The Centre has cleared a package to the tune of Rs 45,000 crore for Uttar Pradesh, conceding almost half of the demand made by the Akhilesh Yadav government.
The package includes release of fresh instalments of funds for Centrally-aided projects which were pending due to various reasons, including failure on part of the State Government to provide utilisation certificates.
The decision to clear the release of the funds was taken at a meeting between Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary, Mr Pulok Chatterjee, and top officials of the Uttar Pradesh Government led by the Chief Secretary, Mr Javed Usmani.
While Uttar Pradesh had demanded release of funds to the tune of Rs 93,000 crore, the Centre has agreed to release Rs 45,000 crore, which the State Government officials termed as “no mean achievement”.