Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Apr 13: The State Government has allocated 25 per cent plan amount in favour of all districts for current financial year of 2014-15 to facilitate expenditure on ongoing development works and meet other expenses till annual plan of the districts was approved in the meetings of the District Development Board (DDB), which were likely to be delayed this time in view of the general elections.
“The 25 per cent plan authorization has been given taking into account the total plan amount of last financial year i.e. 2013-14. The plan authorization would come into effect from April 1, 2014,’’ official sources told the Excelsior.
They said the Planning Department of the State Government has authorized all District Development Commissioners (DDCs) of Jammu and Kashmir to go ahead with the ongoing development works and utilise 25 per cent of the plan amount for meeting requirement of development and other works in their districts till annual plan of the districts was approved after the general elections are over.
“Authorization of 25 per cent expenditure of the plan amount would help the DDCs to go ahead with the ongoing development works,’’ sources said, adding the Government has approved the plan allocation from out of its own resources.
The 25 per cent plan amount would be released to the DDCs from internal tax base of Jammu and Kashmir pending approval of the State’s annual plan, sources said.
They added that the State Government was anticipating delay in approval of the annual plan this year in view of general elections. While the election process was likely to be over by the end of May, the new Government would take time to settle down and set up new Planning Commission, which had to inter-act with the State Governments before finalizing their annual plan.
As Jammu and Kashmir would also go to Assembly elections in October-November, the State Government would like its annual plan to be approved in July this year so that it was in a position to identify new development to be undertaken in the State in the current financial year with the help of legislators and other stakeholders and start them based on the amount sanctioned under the plan, Prime Minister’s Re-construction Plan (PMRP) and Centrally Sponsored Schemes.
The State Government has projected Rs 7300 crores worth annual plan for 2014-15, Rs 600 crores under PMRP and Rs 4000 crores under Centrally Sponsored Schemes for current financial year of 2014-15, totaling Rs 11,900 crores.
The plan amount projected by the State Government for current financial year was equal to the plan the State got during last fiscal year of 2013-14. In 2012-13, the State had been allocated the similar plan amount but it got only Rs 5800 crores as the Planning Commission had imposed a cut of rest of the amount.
Sources said the Government planned to hold the District Development Board meeting in June soon after the process for Lok Sabha elections was completed. The Government would be in a hurry to wind up the DDB meetings in view of approaching Assembly elections, they added.
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