100 village developmental projects sanctioned in Delhi

New Delhi, Aug 31 (IANS) As many as 100 village developmental projects entailing an expenditure of Rs 79 crore were sanctioned during a two-day special drive, Delhi Development Minister Gopal Rai said on Friday.

"These projects will be implemented within two months," he told the media, adding that such drives were necessary to speed up work in villages.

"I will review the progress on the projects for a few days. I will repeat the drive if much time is taken to clear the projects related to village development," the Aam Aadmi Party leader and Minister for Employment, Development, Labour, General Administration and Irrigation said.

On the first day of the drive on Thursday, projects related to 35 of the 70 Assembly constituencies were approved while those of the remaining were taken up on Friday.

Scores of officials, including those from Rai's office, Flood and Irrigation Department, three Municipal Corporations and area MLAs worked at the Secretariat here to get the projects cleared.

"Last year, not even a single paisa of the Village Development Board's Rs 600 crore budget was used till March and the funds lapsed," Rai claimed.

He also said that the Delhi government is trying to make villages smart but "officers were not clearing files".

The Village Development Board had approved 1,069 projects, which were pending in the absence of official sanction. "Not even a single file was passed in the past one-and-a-half years. I am now sitting with officials to ensure the files are passed and no excuses are made."

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