Rs 12 crore ADB aid for Kupwara

The border district of Kupwara in Jammu and Kashmir has been allocated Rs 12 crore by the Asian Development Bank and Rs 15 crore under a Centre-sponsored scheme for development of infrastructure during the current year.

Addressing a meeting convened to review development works in the district today, Forests Minister Ghulam Mohiuddin Sofi asked officials to use the additional funds for construction of bridges and upgradation of roads, which were vital for economic activities in the district, besides taking steps for the improvement of the irrigation network.

Pointing to the state government's commitment to strengthen education and health infrastructure, the minister stressed on the need for immediate reconstruction of school buildings destroyed during insurgency and provision for better healthcare facilities in the frontier district.

Taking exception to the non-expenditure of funds released last year for Kupwara town, the minister asked officials to take up the development projects at the earliest.

Meanwhile, due to the state's "good performance" in rural development, allocation for the three centrally-sponsored schemes has been increased by Rs 5.26 crore to 42.18 crore for the current financial year.

The minister said the state share for all rural development schemes had also been increased by 20 per cent. Against Rs 51.66 crore last year, the planning department had made allocation of Rs 61.75 crore this year.