Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Dec 19: The Planning Department has initiated crucial task of holding the meetings for finalizing annual plan of next financial year of 2013-14 with nearly 27 Departments of the State Government. The meetings would last two weeks after which the Planning and Finance Departments would seek meeting with the Planning Commission of India for deciding quantum of the State’s annual plan for next fiscal.
The meetings started with Home, Agriculture and Forest Departments projecting their needs on Day 1 while on Day 2 it was the turn of Animal and Sheep Husbandry, PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control and Rural Development Department. Power, Transport and Leh Autonomous Hill Development Council (Leh and Kargil) were discussed today.
Principal Secretary, Planning Development Department, BR Sharma told the Excelsior that exercise for assessing the needs of annual plan for 2012-13 of all 27 Departments of the Government has been set into motion and would continued for at least two weeks.
Mr Sharma, who had taken over charge of the prestigious Planning Department only few days before from BB Vyas, the Principal Secretary of the Chief Minister, would be personally assessing requirements of all 27 Departments of the Government for next financial year beginning April 1, 2013 to project them before the Planning Commission of India (PCI) during the meetings for plan finalisation.
The plan meetings would conclude by the end of this month, official sources said pointing out that the budget meetings of all Departments have concluded a day before.
“With the conclusion of plan meetings by the end of this month, the Government would seek meeting with the PCI for discussions on the plan of the State for 2013-14’’, they said.
The first meeting of the State Government officials with the PCI for next year’s plan has already been delayed. Last year, the first meeting was held on December 15, 2011 while this time the meeting was expected to take place in first half of January, 2012. The meeting would be attended by Financial Commissioner (Finance) Mohammad Iqbal Khandey and Principal Secretary (Planning) BR Sharma.
The next meeting would be attended by top brass of administration including all Administrative Secretaries and Heads of Departments to project their needs Department wise. The plan is finally clinched in June or July in the meeting among PCI vice chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather.
According to sources, the Planning Commission was expected to give a broad hint to the State Government officials about the quantum of plan, PMRP and Centrally Sponsored Schemes etc for next financial year during the January meeting to help the Finance Ministry incorporate figures of plan and other schemes in the budget for next financial year.
The Government had to present the budget in first week of March.
Sources said during the ongoing meetings with 27 Departments, the Planning Department would like to know the requirements of all Departments for next financial year including the priority areas and the expenditure for the current year when three quarters were about to be completed by this month end.
The Finance Department has already completed the round of meetings with all 27 Departments to take into accounts their requirements for 2013-14. It would be on the basis of needs of all Departments that Planning and Finance Departments those projections would be made before the PCI, sources said.
In the next few days, the Finance Minister would also begin pre-budget meetings with all other stake holders including representatives of Chamber and Commerce, other business and trade organisations and economic experts.
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