Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Nov 3: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah would be holding a detailed review of development works in all 22 districts of the State by chairing the District Development Board (DDB) meetings after the opening of Civil Secretariat in the winter capital here. The DDB review meetings could take place anytime next month.
The Chief Minister hadn’t presided over the DDB meetings excepting Jammu and Srinagar districts, which he heads, in June-July this year. The meetings had been presided over the Ministers, who happened to be chairpersons of the districts, and approved annual plan.
Official sources told the Excelsior that the Chief Minister, who also holds the portfolio of Planning Department, has decided to presided over review meetings of all the DDBs in December-January and take assessment of the progress of development works and expenditure of annual plan.
“The districts fairing well on development front could get additional funds in the review meetings”, they said.
Jammu and Kashmir was sanctioned Rs 7300 crore worth annual plan and Rs 700 crore under Prime Minister’s Re-construction Plan for current financial year of 2012-13. The plan and the PMRP amount are released in installments.
The Government had allocated annual plan to the districts for 2012-13 equal to the amount of previous financial year i.e. 2011-12. There was no increase in the plan amount in the DDB meetings chaired by the concerned Cabinet Ministers as chairpersons as the Planning Commission hadn’t approved the State’s annual plan by then.
The State’s annual plan and the PMRP had been finalized on July 13 while the DDB meetings had started in June. Sources said the DDB meetings were held before finalisation of the annual plan as the State Government wanted to given enough time to the districts for working season, which was very limited in some hilly areas, which start receiving snowfall in December. Snowfall continued till February-March.
Omar hadn’t presided over the DDB meetings in June-July this year excepting Jammu and Srinagar districts but had decided to chair their review meetings after six months to monitor progress of development works, approved in the DDB meetings and those which were already going on.
The Chief Minister would hold DDB review meetings of all districts including Jammu and Srinagar. It may be mentioned here that Omar himself happened to be the chairman of Jammu and Srinagar DDBs and had presided over their DDB meetings in July this year.
Sources said the Planning Department of the Government was proposing major additionalities for various districts including capital cities of Jammu and Srinagar as the State this year had been sanctioned highest ever annual plan of Rs 7300 crore. During last financial year of 2011-12, the State had been sanction Rs 6600 crore worth plan, which it had managed to spend by and large.
Due to nearly full expenditure, the Planning Commission had given 10 per cent hike in the annual plan to the State for the current financial year. However, the Commission had reduced the PMRP amount of the State from Rs 1200 crore in 2011-12 to Rs 700 crore in 2012-13 on account of completion of a number of works taken in hands under the Re-construction Plan.
Moreover, the State had spent only Rs 600 crore under the PMRP during last financial year. This year, the Government was confident of spending entire or majority of amount both under annual plan as well as PMRP.
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