The union cabinet today agreed to sanction Rs 8,000 crore for various inter-state flood control programmes. The specifics of the package will be worked out soon.The cabinet also decided to sanction Rs 368 crore for subsidising the air fare of Haj pilgrims. The fare for the round-trip to Jeddah and Madinah will be Rs 12,000 for Haj pilgrims this year. Saudi Arabian Airlines and Air India have agreed to carry the pilgrims from various destinations, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunshi said at a media briefing today. Other decisions taken at the meeting were the approval to pursue the enactment of the National Jute Board Bill, 2006 and the introduction of Central Universities Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2007 to make it mandatory for central universities to submit annual reports and audited accounts before the Parliament. Regarding the AIIMS bill, Munshi said the bill, aiming at incorporating changes in the appointment rules, will be the first one to be taken up during the forthcoming session of the Parliament.
