NEW DELHI: Though the Finance Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has painted a grim picture of the economy and said that the country has not experienced anything like this since independence he has allocated a whopping Rs 100 crore ( 1 crore is 10 million) to the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation without batting an eyelid.
This sum will be given to the foundation in support of its laudable objectives and will be paid in five annual installments of Rs 20 crore.
The foundation which came into being recently is headed by Sonia Gandhi and has Rahul Gandhi and Priyanaka Gandhi as members. Other members of the trust are Suman Dubey a family friend and the Vice-President Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma among others
According to the finance minister the foundation among other things will lay emphasis on research and action programs relating to application of Science and technology for development and propagation of literacy Protection of environment promotion of communal harmony up lift of under-privileged women and handicapped.
While the govt in the Current budget has committed a sum of Rs 100 crore to the foundation controlled by the Nehru family a glance at the budget papers shows that as against the revised estimates of 1990-91 the increase in the central plan outlay for the Ministry of Women and Child Development in 1991-92 is just Rs 87 crore
The increase in the central plan outlay for the Health Mini more this year and the Department of Science and technology just an increase Of Rs 40 crore Scientific and industrial research Sets just Rs 22 crore more in respect of central plan outlay.
Article extracted from this publication >> August 2, 1991
