Union Finance Minister, Mr. Arun Jaitley said that the central government will soon extend crop insurance to farmers for crops damaged due to natural calamities. Addressing a public meeting at Amritsar after launching various development projects, he said government had earmarked a sum of 50,000 crore rupees for revamping the irrigation network in the country. <br/><br/>He said the central government had passed on the advantage of fuel price drop to the consumers, while a part of this money has been used to repair highways. He said, states will also be given sanctioned funds for building more state highways and strengthen rural road network. He promised to restore Amristar's glory and declared it a heritage city.<br/><br/> Speaking on the occasion, Union Minister for Urban Development Mr. M Venkiah Naidu announced that the central government would provide financial aid to Punjab to develop 16 cities and towns and provide amenities such as drinking water, sewerage and roads. He also praised Jaitley for sanctioning prestigious institutes such as AIIMS, IIM and Horticulture Institute, undertaking highway projects and sanctioning three smart cities to Punjab. Earlier Mr. Jaitley and Mr. Naidu launched Heritage Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) for Amritsar under which Amritsar will get 68 crore 45 lakh rupees from centre for development and laid the foundation stones for upgrading National Highway 15 to four lanes.