Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 20: The crucial first annual plan meeting of Jammu and Kashmir with the Planning Commission of India is being held on January 24 in which the State bureaucrats would project their requirements and could probably get a nod on the quantum of plan for next financial year of 2013-14.
This is for the first time that the plan meeting between the State Government bureaucrats and Planning Commission of India officials would be held through video conferencing.
Official sources told the Excelsior that the Planning and Finance Departments of the Government have received a call for first meeting of the annual plan for 2013-14 from the Planning Commission. The meeting was scheduled for January 24.
“The Planning Commission has opted for video conferencing session on the annual plan meeting. It would be for the first time that discussions on the State’s annual plan would be held through video conference and the delegation wouldn’t be required to proceed to New Delhi for talks with the PCI officials’’, sources said.
Principal Secretary, Planning, BR Sharma confirmed that the plan meeting has been scheduled for January 24 and it would be held through video conferencing.
“We will project our allocations for next financial year (2013-14) and give detailed Department wise requirements to the Planning Commissioner Advisors, who will represent the PCI’’, Mr Sharma said.
According to sources, besides Mr Sharma, Financial Commissioner (Revenue) Mohammad Iqbal Khandey and some other senior officers of Planning and Finance Departments. They said the first plan meeting of the State with the Planning Commission Advisors would be confined to top bureaucrats of Planning and Finance Departments while officials of all other major Departments would converse with the Commission in the second meeting.
The Planning and Finance Department officials would be involved in video conferencing with the PCI projecting requirements of the State for next financial year of 2013-14.
The projections would be made Department wise, sources said.
The State Government officials were likely to seek Rs 8000 crore worth plan for 2013-14 and start of Phase-II of Prime Minister’s Re-construction Plan (PMRP) as thrice extended term of the PMRP would be ending on March 31 this year.
The Planning and Finance Departments have already completed the exercise of Department wise consultations in the State by holding meetings with each and every Department in the month of December. The meetings by both the Departments were taken separately. While the Planning Department would be projecting requirements of the Departments before the PCI, the Finance Department would incorporate their needs in the budget.
Sources said with Department wise requirements, the State would present a tentative schedule of annual plan for 2013-14 and Phase-II of PMRP beginning April 1, 2013. The State was likely to ask for Rs 8000 crore worth annual plan and Rs 1000 crore to Rs 1500 crore for Phase-II of PMRP. The State would also list projects to be undertaken by the Government under second phase of PMRP.
During current financial year of 2012-13, the State had been awarded highest ever annual plan of Rs 7300 crore and Rs 700 crore under PMRP. The highest ever plan was sanctioned in favour of the State after it was able to spent Rs 6700 crore worth plan during previous financial year of 2011-12.
Sources said the State was confident of around Rs 8000 crore worth annual plan for 2013-14.
The Planning Commission was expected to give its mind on annual plan and PMRP Phase-II in January 24 video conferencing so that the Government was in a position to prepare the budget by taking tentative figures. Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather would present the annual budget of the State for financial year of 2013-14 in the Assembly during first week of March.
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