The Hindu Business Line : Centre identifies 137 backward districts for development

THE Union Minister of State for Planning, Mr M.V. Rajasekharan, has said that the Union Government has identified 137 backward districts in the country for development, and Rs 45 crore will be spent on each of them.

Addressing reporters here on Saturday, he said that 37 of these districts, which are affected by extremist activities, are in the border areas of North-Eastern States.

Other districts were identified based on parameters such as the population of Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe (SC/ST) communities, and agriculture wages and output. Most of these districts have the highest SC/ST population, and agriculture wages and agriculture output are the lowest, he said.

Bidar, Chitradurga, Davangere and Gulbarga districts in Karnataka have been included in the list, and two of these districts have got an initial assistance of Rs 15 crore. Under this, "best practice models" such as agriculture in Punjab and education in Kerala will be identified for implementation in other States. It is also essential to strengthen the panchayat raj system to develop these districts, he said.

Effect of drought: Asked if the country would achieve an 8 per cent growth rate this fiscal, he said that it would be difficult due to the decline in the agricultural production. Consecutive droughts for the past four years have affected the agricultural production. "Agriculture sector will have better investments," he said.

Stating that the mid-term appraisal of the Planning Commission will be held soon, he said it would discuss those areas that need to be strengthened. In Karnataka, there is good scope for the development of horticulture, dairying and fisheries. The Chief Minister is eager to develop tourism in the State, he said.

The Union Government is contemplating bringing out an employment guarantee scheme with an investment of around Rs 48,000 crore. The scheme envisages a minimum of 100 days of employment for a person in a family in a year.

Coastal SEZ: To a query on the prospects of the proposed coastal special economic zone (SEZ) in Mangalore, following reported notes of dissent by the Petroleum Ministry over ONGC's investments in the SEZ project, he said, "I don't know if the Minister has been misinformed. However, we (Ministers from the State) will convince him."