Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, July 2: After three postponements, the Jammu and Kashmir’s annual plan finalisation meeting has finally been fixed on July 8 and 9. Initially, the Planning Commission had conveyed to the State delegation that the meeting could be either held on July 8 or 9.
However, the meeting would now last two days with the first day fixed for bureaucratic level talks on “resource mobilization’’ and second day for final meeting between Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for approval of the plan.
Official sources told the Excelsior that the Planning Commission today gave its final nod to Jammu and Kashmir Government for the final plan meeting on July 8 and 9.
Planning and Development Minister Ajay Sadhotra, when approached, confirmed that the State’s plan finalisation meeting with the Planning Commission of India has been fixed for July 8 and 9.
“July 8 has been fixed for ‘resource meeting’ between State bureaucrats headed by Chief Secretary Mohammad Iqbal Khandey and Planning Commission Members and Advisors while July 9 was scheduled for plan finalisation between Mr Ahluwalia and Mr Abdullah,’’ Mr Sadhotra said.
Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather, Planning Minister Ajay Sadhotra, Minister of State for Finance and Planning Dr Manohar Lal Sharma and Economic Advisor to J&K Government Jalil Khan will join the meeting.
This is probably for the first time in past many years that the State’s plan finalisation meeting has been deferred thrice. The first meeting was fixed on May 20 followed by June 2 and July 2. All three meetings were postponed reportedly on the ground that the Planning Commission and J&K Government were unable to reach a consensus on plan amount to be approved in favour of the State for current financial year of 2013-14.
Last year, J&K’s plan was finalised on July 13.
Sources said the Planning Commission Members and Advisors would have day long interaction with the State bureaucrats headed by the Chief Secretary and comprising all Administrative Secretaries and some Head of Departments on July 8 to ascertain resources of the State to fund the plan in different sectors.
The next day Ahluwalia would meet Omar and his selected Ministers and finalise the plan amount and Prime Minister’s Re-construction Plan (PMRP).
Worthwhile to mention here that Jammu and Kashmir has staked claim for Rs 8050 crores worth plan for 2013-14, a 10 per cent step up over 2012-13 when the State plan was Rs 7300 crores. However, the State eventually ended up with getting only Rs 5800 crores as the Planning Commission had, at the last moment, blocked Rs 1500 crores from the plan amount.
The State has sought Rs 600 crores under the PMRP, Rs 100 crores less from the previous financial year. However, it has also asked for revalidation of Rs 400 crores under the PMRP, which it didn’t get from the approved amount in the last financial year.
The State plan finalisation was delayed as the Planning Commission had earlier been offering only Rs 5800 crores worth plan to the State for this financial year, which the State had refused, leading to differences.
The State Government was now confident that it would be in a position to get Rs 8050 crores plan and Rs 600 crores under PMRP.
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