Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, July 27: Ongoing financial crunch in Jammu and Kashmir due to delay in annual plan finalization has taken its toll on the District Development Board (DDB) meetings, which the Planning and Development Department has deferred indefinitely till the plan of Jammu and Kashmir was finalized by the Centre.
The DDB meetings are considered to be very significant since new development works to be undertaken in the districts are identified by the people’s representatives including concerned Members of Parliament (MPs), legislators (both MLAs and MLCs) and Ministers etc.
Principal Secretary, Planning and Development Department, BR Sharma told the Excelsior that the Planning Department has decided to hold the DDB meetings only after annual plan of Jammu and Kashmir is finalized by the Government of India.
“We will hold the DDB meetings only when we are aware of the quantum of annual plan and Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSSs) for current financial year of 2014-15 so that the new schemes are decided as per the plan allocation,” Sharma said, adding that in any case the DDB meetings would be held well before the imposition of Model Code of Conduct for the Assembly elections.
The Model Code of Conduct is likely to be imposed by the Election Commission of India in the middle or end of September, which bars the Government from taking major administrative decisions including the DDB meetings.
The Planning Secretary, however, said that all old ongoing works would not be blocked notwithstanding the delay in the DDB meetings. “Only new works would be taken up after approval of the DDBs,” he added.
Official sources, meanwhile, said the DDB meetings would be possible by the end of August or start of September as annual plan of Jammu and Kashmir, like other States of the country, would be finalized only in August after approval of the Central budget.
Sources admitted that delay in the DDB meetings would definitely impact new projects to be undertaken by the Government in the districts but said there was no option before the Government as it can’t hold the DDB meetings in the absence of a clear message from the Centre on the quantum of annual plan.
The delay in annual plan finalization, sources said, has become a major cause of concern for the State Government as it wanted to hold the DDB meetings at the earliest as in view of election year it wanted to undertake new development schemes in the districts. Sources said in any case the Government would hold the DDB meetings before Model Code of Conduct is imposed for the Assembly elections, which were due to be held in November-December this year.
According to sources, the Central Government was yet to take a decision on whether annual plan of the State would be finalized by the Planning Commission as was the practice till the last financial year or through any other medium like the Union Finance Ministry. It may be mentioned here that the Centre has so far not re-constituted the Planning Commission after the exit of previous Deputy Chairman of the Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia, who had served in the Commission during 10 years tenure of the UPA.
Previously the State Government used to hold the DDB meetings even before finalization of annual plan. The DDB meetings were generally held in May and June while the annual plan was finalized in July.
This time, sources said, the Government didn’t want to hold the DDB meetings as it was not sure about quantum of annual plan and Centrally Sponsored Schemes though it was expecting increase in the plan for current financial year of 2014-15 on the ground that the State’s plan has not been increased for the past two consecutive financial years.
The Jammu and Kashmir has been getting Rs 7300 crores worth annual plan for past two years and this is for third consecutive year when the State has projected similar plan amount before the Centre. It was in view of similar plan for past three years that the State was confident of an increased plan outlay for current financial year of 2014-15.
The State had in its general budget presented in the State Legislature in February this year projected Rs 11,900 crores worth total amount from the Centre for 2014-15 including Rs 7300 crores under annual plan, Rs 600 crores under Prime Minister’s Re-construction Plan (PMRP) and Rs 4000 crores for Centrally Sponsored Schemes.
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