New Delhi, Feb 23 (IANS) While India is struggling to reach a satisfactory level of health infrastructure, the union health ministry may fail to spend over Rs.6,000 crore allocated for the health sector during the current financial year, parliament was informed Tuesday.

In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said: 'An amount of Rs.12,949.95 crore has been spent in 2009-10 up to January 2010 as against the annual plan allocation of Rs.19,534 crore.'

This means a sum of about Rs.6,584 crore may remain unspent this year.

Azad said some procedural delays were the reason for so much money being unspent.

'Procedural delays in sanctioning of the schemes/proposals and slow pace of fulfilment of necessary financial requirements for further releases, sometimes lead to under-utilisation of funds,' the minister said.