Rs982 crore sanctioned for Bhopal, ahead of a GoM meeting
18 Jun 2010
The Planning Commission has sanctioned 982 crore for the Madhya Pradesh government, hours ahead of a scheduled nine minister meeting that will discuss the government's agenda for Bhopal.
The sanctioned amount will reportedly be assigned to health and environment issues in the state.
The fund will have to be approved by the group of ministers (GoM) who are meeting for the first time today to offer suggestions for tackling a wide range of issues including legal and financial, from a Bhopal court verdict last week into the Union Carbide gas leak that claimed more than 15,000 lives in December 1984.
The Bhopal judgment has held seven Indian Carbide executives responsible for the ghastly tragedy and sentenced them to a two-year prison term. The light sentence has caused outrage in the media and the glaring omission of the then American CEO of the US multinational from the trial has been stirring up fresh controversies.
Though Anderson has been charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder, he has evaded several court summons.
Anderson paid a brief visit to Bhopal after the tragedy, after ensuring immunity from arrest, was arrested and released immediately to be flown out of Bhopal in the then MP chief minister, Arjun Singh's aircraft.