Backward Regions Grant Fund (BRGF)

The CCEA has approved the proposal (i) to include 22 additional districts in the list of 250 BRGF districts and for extending the District Component of BRGF with the expanded coverage to the 2012-13, and (ii) to cover four additional districts under the Integrated Action Plan (IAP) in 2012-13. The total allocation for both the programmes will also increase. The present approval is (i) to expand the coverage of the District Component of BRGF from 250 districts to 272 districts with enhanced allocation from Rs. 5050 crore to Rs. 5350 crore, and (ii) to expand the coverage of the IAP from 78 districts to 82 districts with enhanced allocation from Rs. 2340 crore to Rs. 2460 crore,

As per Census 2011, 24 districts have been carved out of the existing BRGF districts between 2001 Census and 2011 Census. Out of which five districts are already covered. In addition, there are three intervening districts viz. Chhindwara District of Madhya Pradesh, Siwan District of Bihar and Bargarh District of Odisha, which are backward and have similar socio-economic characteristics. Therefore, 22 additional districts are now being covered under the District Component of BRGF for which additional allocation of Rs. 300 crore will be made. These 22 additional districts being covered under the District Component of BRGF include 14 districts in six of the nine States with IAP Districts. Out of these 14 districts, six districts are already covered under IAP. Out of the remaining eight districts, two districts fulfill the criteria for coverage under the IAP. In addition, two districts of Bihar, already covered under the SRE scheme of the Ministry of Home Affairs and District Component of BRGF are also being covered under IAP. in all, four additional districts, in addition to 78 districts of nine States already covered, are now being covered.

The Backward Regions Grant Fund (BRGF), which aims to catalyze development in backward areas, was approved by the CCEA in August, 2006. The BRGF has two components, namely, District Component covering 250 backward districts in 27 States and State Component which includes Special Plan for Bihar, Special Plan for the Kalahandi-Boangir-Koraput (KBK) districts of Orissa, Special Plan for West Bengal, Integrated Action Plan(IAP) for Selected Tribal and Backward Districts and Bundelkhand Package.

The implementation of the programmes is being done by the State Governments. The aim of the programme is to accelerate socio-economic development in the States concerned.