Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Mar 24: The Government of India is likely to extend Prime Minister’s Re-construction Plan (PMRP) for next financial year of 2013-14 while the latest figures worked out by the Planning Department revealed that about 67 per cent plan amount of the current financial year has been spent till date. The State Government was confident of nearly 95 per cent utilisation of plan amount by the closure of current financial year for which only a week was left now.
Official sources told the Excelsior that the Union Government and the Planning Commission of India has dropped broad hints to the State Government that it would be extending the PMRP for next financial year of 2013-14. The already extended term of the PMRP is ending with the end of current financial year i.e. 2012-13.
During 2012-13, which is ending on March 31, the Central Government had granted Rs 600 crore to the State Government under the PMRP for executing works under the Re-construction Plan in the State sector. Majority of the amount in this sector hadn’t been released prompting Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to take up the matter with the Prime Minister followed by bureaucratic level talks between State officials with Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Pulok Chatterji.
The PMRP funds are non-lapsable and whenever they are released they would be utilised on the projects identified for completion under this Plan for the current year.
Sources said besides release of PMRP funds for current financial year, the Government of India has also assured extension of the Re-construction Plan for next financial year of 2013-14. While the State was likely to get full amount of Rs 700 crore of current fiscal year in the installments depending upon the execution of works, it could get Rs 600 crore for the next financial year in the same Plan.
During 2011-12, the Centre had allocated Rs 1200 crore to the State under the PMRP. However, as the State was able to use just one-third of the allocated amount, the Centre cut the allocation nearly by half i.e. Rs 700 crore in 2012-13 and was likely to reduce the amount further to Rs 600 crore in 2013-14 after extending the Plan.
The State Government was of the view that even release of Rs 700 crore worth funds in full for current year under the PMRP and allocation of Rs 600 crore for next fiscal year would be enough and the State would be in a position to complete ongoing projects including Mughal Road under the Re-construction Plan.
Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh as a head of UPA-I in 2004 had announced Rs 24,600 crore worth PMRP for the State, which was divided in two sectors—Central and State. Majority of funds under the PMRP were meant for the Central sector in which the Centre Government agencies had to execute important projects in the State including power projects. The State was granted separate funds in the State sector.
Due to delay in execution of some projects, the PMRP amount has already surpassed Rs 30,000 crore.
Meanwhile, the State Government has utilised nearly 67 per cent annual plan amount till date. With the release of funds, the Government was confident that it would be able to spend nearly 95 per cent of the plan amount in the current fiscal year.
According to sources, a number of developmental works had already been taken up by the Government, whose payments would be made on receipt of funds taking the plan expenditure from 67 per cent to nearly 95 per cent in the next one week.
The State had been granted Rs 7300 crore worth annual plan for current financial year while for next fiscal, the State has tipped the plan amount of Rs 8000 crore, a step-up of 10 per cent over the current year.
Trending Now
E-Paper
Follow our WhatsApp channel