Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Dec 26: In a major relief, the State Government has received Rs 275 crores under the Prime Minister’s Re-construction Plan (PMRP) for three major projects and was expecting full amount of Rs 600 crores approved for the current financial year to complete the projects. The release of funds under PMRP was significant as the Planning Commission of India has delayed release of Rs 2200 crores worth Special Plan Assistance (SPA) of the State.
Official sources told the Excelsior that the State Government has received Rs 275 crores worth first installment under the PMRP from the Planning Commission of India, which would give boost to three major projects, which the Government proposed to complete during current financial year of 2013-14.
The projects included Mughal Road, two room tenements for Kashmiri migrants and strengthening of Transmission and Distribution (T&D) network.
Work on Dal lake in Srinagar including its cleaning etc, which has also been undertaken under the PMRP, would continue beyond the current financial year, sources said but added that if the State received full amount of Rs 600 crores under the PMRP for current fiscal of 2013-14 it would be able to complete three major projects.
The Government was confident that the Planning Commission would release full amount of Rs 600 crores in favour of the State this year. During last financial year i.e. 2012-13, the Planning Commission had approved Rs 700 crores for the PMRP but at the end of year released even less than half of the amount, leading to delay in completion of various projects.
During 2012-13, out of Rs 700 crores given to the State under the PMRP, the Government had earmarked Rs 195.24 crore on strengthening of Transmission and Distribution (T&D) network and Rs 105.29 crore for further construction, upgradation and other works on Mughal Road.
Other works undertaken last fiscal included rehabilitation of dwellers within Dal and Nigeen lakes (Rs 233.82 crore) and construction of 5242 two room tenements for Kashmiri migrants (Rs 45.65 crore).
The Government had kept a provision of Rs 120 crore for Counterpart Fund and Asian Development Bank (Part-II).
Sources said the Government proposed to complete Mughal Road works in the current financial year apart from two room tenements for Kashmiri migrants and strengthening work to reduce T&D losses.
They added that the State had been able to spend half of Rs 1207 crores sanctioned under the PMRP during 2011-12 due to which it was given only Rs 700 crores in 2012-13 but a major part of the amount was not released by the end of last fiscal year.
The PMRP, which was Rs 24,467 crore in 2004 when it was announced by Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh as the head of UPA-I, has already gone up to Rs 32,000 crore mainly due to escalation of prices of different projects.
The plan, which was given to the State as an economic package for raising infrastructure damaged during the militancy, is being implemented in two sectors—Central and State. The Central projects, mainly power generating hydro-electric projects, are being constructed by National Hydro-electric Power Corporation (NHPC) while State sector projects are being executed by different agencies.
Out of revised estimates of PMRP worth Rs 32,000 crore, about Rs 20,000 crore are reserved for Central sector while remaining amount of Rs 12,000 crore is at the disposal of the State Government. An estimated 60 to 65 per cent amount of the PMRP has been utilized so far.
The State amount under the PMRP is released in installments every year with this year’s share kept at Rs 600 crore.
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