While state governments accuse the center of niggardliness in releasing funds for numerous development schemes, it turns out most states end up not utilising the money.

Himachal Pradesh is the only state that has utilised all the releases made during 2008-09 under Backward Region Grant Funds (BFRG), closely followed by Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.

States that have not utilised most of the fund are Orissa, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan. 

The rural development ministry releases BRGF funds to the states for the districts identified as backward.  These funds are used for filling critical infrastructural gaps including roads, bridges, anganwadi centres, class rooms in schools, panchayat buildings, community centres, drinking water and rural electrification infrastructure, health centre.

The ministry released the state-wise details of annual entitlement, funds sanctioned and funds utilised under the Development Grant and Capacity Building components of BRGF in Parliament on Wednesday.  Against Rs 2643.20 crore released during 2007-08 for all states, only Rs 2535.60 crore was used up. That is, Rs 107.6 crore was returned. The following year, it only got worse, nine times worse. The states returned Rs 900 crore (Rs 2129 crore used out of Rs 3029.3 crore for the year 2008-09).

Among the north eastern states Arunachal Pradesh come on top in terms of using most of the funds released followed by Tripura, Sikkim, Nagaland and Meghalaya. Assam fares worst in the list, using just Rs 3.5 crore of the Rs 53.2 crore released.