Govt set to pass on 10 pc plan hike to all districts

Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, May 12: The Government was likely to enhance annual plan for all districts for current financial year by at least 10 per cent if a similar hike was approved in the State’s annual plan. There had been no hike in annual plan in any of the 22 districts for the past two years.
Official sources told the Excelsior that the Government would take a decision to this effect after final annual plan meeting on May 20 between Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. The final meeting would be preceded by a high level and crucial contact between top bureaucrats of the State and Planning Commission Advisors and Members tomorrow
The officers’ level bureaucratic contact was previously scheduled for May 8 but it was later deferred to May 13.
Sources said the Government was mulling a proposal for 10 per cent enhancement in annual plan of the districts, which is finalised in District Development Board (DDB) meetings, chaired by the DDB chairpersons, who happened to be the Ministers.
However, they added, the Government would wait for finalisation of its annual plan on May 20 before taking a final call on enhancement of the district plan. The DDB meetings were also scheduled after finalisation of the plan.
There had been demands from public representatives in all the districts that the annual plan for the districts should be increased in proportionate to increase in the State’s annual plan. The Government had earlier justified status quo in district plan on the ground that additional amount is released before the end of financial year for the districts, which were in need of it or which required more funds to complete the ongoing development works.
However, due to consistent demand from the district representatives, the Government was now all set to concede the demand and pass on 10 per cent hike in the State’s annual plan to the districts, sources said.
Annual plan of the State is scheduled to be finalised on May 20 and the DDB meetings would begin soon thereafter. The State has sought Rs 8050 crore worth plan and Rs 600 crore under Prime Minister’s Re-construction Plan (PMRP) besides funds under other Centrally Sponsored Schemes.
“If the State was granted Rs 8050 crore worth plan, it would be 10 per cent hike over the previous year when the State had been granted Rs 7300 crore worth plan,’’ sources said. Though during the last financial year also, the State had received 10 per cent hike in the plan over the previous year, it hadn’t passed on the hike to the districts,’’ sources said.
Meanwhile, prior to May 20 plan finalisation between Ahluwalia-Omar, the State’s top bureaucrats would be traveling to Yojana Bhawan in New Delhi for a meeting with Planning Commission’s Advisors and Members to clear the ground for plan finalisation and explain resources of the State for funding the plan tomorrow.
The six member high level delegation that has been assigned the task by the Government for holding “resource meeting’’ with the Planning Commission on May 13 included B R Sharma, Principal Secretary, Planning and Development Department, B B Vyas, Principal Secretary, Finance Department, Arun Kumar Mehta, Principal Secretary, Power Development Department (PDD), Rashim Kashyap, Director, Resources and Institutional Finances and Special Secretary, Finance Department, Shehzada Bilal, Joint Director, Planning and Development Department and Showkat Hussain Mir, Deputy Director, Resources, Finance Department.
Sources said the State delegation would explain in detail the resources of the State Government, both tax and non tax, measures being taken by the Government to increase its tax base and curtail revenue expenditure, austerity measures and ever increasing losses on power purchase.
They added that the cut in last year’s funds of the State by the Planning Commission would also be taken up by the State delegation during tomorrow’s meeting with Members and Advisors of the Commission. The State Government has made it clear that it would be seeking re-validation of the funds and pursue the matter vigorously with the Planning Commission and, if the need arises, with the Union Finance Ministry.
According to sources, the State delegation’s meeting with the Planning Commission on May 13 would take place in two phases during the day.
“Most of the issues would be cleared in May 13 meeting. The clarifications sought by the Planning Commission on resources for financing annual plan of the State for 2013-14 would be given in the meeting by the top brass of Planning and Finance Department,’’ sources said.

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