More money pumped in to clean rivers, lakes

New Delhi: The government will raise the the allocation for cleaning India's rivers and lakes to Rs 562 crore ($110 million) in fiscal 2009-10 from Rs 335 crore last fiscal, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee announced on Monday while presenting the union Budget in parliament.

Mentioning that the government had unveiled its National Action Plan on Climate Change last year and that eight national missions under it were being finalised, Mukherjee committed that the government would provide "necessary funds" for all the missions.

The annual economic survey had estimated that India is now spending over 2.6 per cent of its GDP in having to adapt to climate change, which is affecting farm output, making droughts, storms and floods more frequent and more severe, and raising the sea level.

The minister also announced special allocations for the Indian Council for Foresty Research and Education, the Botanical Survey of India and the Zoological Survey of India.