Gandhinagar, Aug 7 (IANS) The Gujarat government, led by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, has doubled the development grants available to districts hosting state-level Republic Day, Independence Day and Gujarat State Foundation Day celebrations outside Gandhinagar, raising the maximum allocation from Rs 7.5 crore to Rs 15 crore under revised provisions approved by the state.
According to a resolution issued by the General Administration Department (GAD) on August 6, districts selected to host these state-level events will now receive enhanced funding for development works in rural, urban and municipal corporation areas.
The revised policy is intended to support infrastructure and civic development alongside the organisation of official state celebrations.
The practice of holding major state-level national celebrations outside the capital was introduced in 2003 by the then Chief Minister Narendra Modi. The first such event was the Independence Day celebration held in Patan on August 15, 2003.
The initiative was designed to take official national celebrations to different parts of Gujarat while ensuring that host districts also benefited from development projects linked to the events.
Under the revised provisions, the District Development Officer of the host district will receive Rs 5 crore for rural development, up from the earlier allocation of Rs 2.5 crore.
Municipalities in the host district will also receive Rs 5 crore for urban development through the District Collector, compared with the previous grant of Rs 2.5 crore.
Where the event is hosted within the limits of a Municipal Corporation, the Municipal Commissioner will be eligible for a development grant of up to Rs 5 crore.
As a result, districts with a Municipal Corporation can receive a combined development grant of up to Rs 15 crore, representing a 100 per cent increase across all three categories.
Districts without a Municipal Corporation will receive a maximum of Rs 10 crore, comprising Rs 5 crore each for rural development and municipal areas. The revised funding will apply to forthcoming state-level celebrations.
The Independence Day function on August 15 will be held in Amreli. As the district does not have a Municipal Corporation, it will receive Rs 5 crore for rural development and Rs 5 crore for municipal areas, taking the total development grant to Rs 10 crore.
The state government said the revised allocation continues the policy of linking state-level national celebrations with development initiatives in host districts, a practice that has remained in place since the celebrations were first decentralised from the state capital more than two decades ago.
–IANS
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