As finance minister Pranab Mukherjee gears up to present the union budget on February 28, non-government organisations Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability (CBGA) & Oxfam India have propsed that the government should invest money generated from non-tax revenue in 2010-11 on funding rural infrastructure in the upcoming budget.

In a release on Monday, the CBGA & Oxfam said the government generated Rs 71,262 crore on the auction of 3G spectrum and broadband wireless access (BWA) in 2010-11, which it should invest to meet the deficit in social infrastructure in the rural areas.

“The additional amount, hence, could be used to fund rural infrastructural gaps of the country,” said Subrat Das, executive director, CBGA.

The report by CBGA points out that over the year the government has neglected rural areas due to which there is huge infrastructure deficit. 

“There is a shortfall of 22.36 lakh houses for BPL families, 1.25 lakh anganwadi centres, 20,407 school buildings and 4,504 primary health centres (PHC) in the country,” notes the report.

“The forthcoming budget is an opportunity to realise the dream of inclusive development in India and to connect the two India’s by mobilising additional resources from the rich in order to invest in the poor and marginalised so that they too can participate in and benefit from the growth that others in India are enjoying,” said Nisha Agrawal, CEO, Oxfam India.

“Under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), an additional 1.21 lakh km roads need to be constructed to connect 20,836 habitations hitherto unconnected,” the report added.

Prime minister Manmohan Singh has from time to time stressed on the need to correct the leaky infrastructure which needs an investment of more than $1 trillion if the country’s current economic growth rate is to be maintained in the 12th five-year plan (2012-2017).