Moga, Punjab, March 15, 2008
Sohan Gill
NRI Sant Singh presented a cheque of Rs. 12.5 lakh to SAD President
Sukhbir Singh Badal for the development of his village Bir Rauke,
near Moga. Sukhbir Singh Badal assured him that remaining 75 per
cent of the amount for the project of integrated development of
the village would be contributed by the state government.
The Punjab government, which was earlier giving matching grants
on dollar-to-dollar basis, had now "agreed to enhance its
share to 75 per cent.
In 2002, a Jalandhar-based organisation, Vichar Manch conducted
a survey that 477 villages located in seven tehsils of the Doaba
region showed that NRIs had contributed more than Rs.2 billion
in the 477 villages, which is about Rs.4 million per village.
In December 2007 of 28 villages out of the 477 villages surveyed
earlier showed startling changes in the pattern and amount of
contribution made by the overseas Indians. The total amount of
foreign contribution to the 28 villages till 2002 was Rs.140 million,
but in five years those villages had received Rs.115 million.
