Unimpressed by the progress made under the well-known KBK assistance plan, where over Rs 1,600 crore has been spent over the last decade, a concerned Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has asked the Planning Commission to immediately carry out a fresh time-bound re-evaluation of the programme with special focus on the state of poverty and hunger.

To ensure the long overdue development of the extremist-infested districts across eight states, the Planning Commission will shortly unfurl an Integrated Action Plan (IAP) to expedite development in these parts.

The Prime Minister

THE Congress and BJP have promised to provide rice and wheat at subsidised rates for the BPL families of Jharkhand where five-phase Assembly pollsbeginfromNovember25.

While the Congress has promised to bring down the price of rice and wheat to Rs 3 each per kg, the BJP has made a commitment to sell rice and wheat at Re 1 each per kg and iodised salt at 25 paise per kg.

Former deputy chief minister Stephen Marandi today promised that 135 villages in his district would celebrate a brighter Diwali, with electricity and electric bulbs reaching every household in their area by the time of the festival.

Earlier, the leader had initiated measures to provide electricity to consumers in his constituency, Dumka, from where he was elected as an MLA for 25 years.

Under Rajiv Gandhi Rural Electrification Scheme, electricity will be provided to 37,147 families in 1,033 villages, said District-in-Charge Minister K S Eshwarappa.

District-in-Charge Minister K S Eshwarappa inaugurating Rajiv Gandhi Rural Electrification Scheme programme organised by MESCOM on Tuesday. DH photo

The Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure (CCI) has given its nod for continuation of Remote Village Electrification Programme of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy during the remaining period of the Eleventh Plan. The total outlay for the programme has been estimated at Rs 867.89 crore during the current plan period.

NEW DELHI, July 12: Rural electrification works are being taken up in four districts namely Chandel, Senapati, Tamenglong and Ukhrul under the Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana (RGGVY).

BHUBANESWAR: Minister of State for Energy Atanu Sabyasachi today assured that the rural electrification programme will be completed by the end of the current plan period.

District collectors have been instructed to cancel licences of those contractors who failed to execute the infrastructure projects on time and if necessary, the defaulting firms should be blacklisted, the Minister said.