Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, June 13: With plan finalisation getting delayed, the State Government has decided to extend authorization of 25 per cent utilisation of plan expenditure to 50 per cent from June 30 for next three months. The decision would help the district administration to go ahead with ongoing development works and take up other works identified by the District Development Boards (DDBs), whose meetings have already been set into motion.
“Delay in finalisation of the State’s annual plan for current financial year of 2013-14 didn’t mean that the Planning Commission of India was discriminating with Jammu and Kashmir. There are many other States, whose plan was yet to be finalised,’’ official sources said.
With no new date finalised as yet by the Planning Commission for the State’s final plan meeting after cancellation of May 20 and June 2 meetings, the Government has decided to increase authorization of the districts for plan expenditure from 25 per cent to 50 per cent.
The Government had granted plan allocation of 25 per cent to the districts for first three months of the current financial year i.e. April 1 to June 30. It would be extended to 50 per cent for another three months up to September 30.
In the meantime, the Government hoped that the Planning Commission of India would finalise the State’s annual plan and it would be able to release 100 per cent funds for the districts within the time frame for developmental works.
Sources said the increase in plan authorization for the districts was necessitated as the Government anticipated that its plan finalisation could take few more days as so far there had been no communication from the Planning Commission on the date for final meeting.
“Nevertheless, we expect our plan to be finalised in the next few days,’’ sources said.
They added that 50 per cent plan allocation for the district was sufficient to carry on with ongoing development works and take up more works, which were identified by the people’s representatives in the District Development Board (DDB) meetings.
Pointing out that the State’s annual plan in one year in the late nineties was finalised as late as November, sources said the delayed plan approval was not going to have any adverse impact on the development as the State utilised its own resources for funding 25 per cent or 50 per cent plan allocation for the districts for the first six months of the financial year till the annual plan was finalised.
Moreover, they noted, the payments for the development works undertaken in the hands by the District Development Commissioners on the basis of the DDB meetings, had to be made in parts and by then the State would get nod for its annual plan.
The Government has, meanwhile, directed the DDCs to ensure that the development works didn’t suffer in the absence of plan approval. They have been asked to utilise the resources at their command for the development works.
The State has sought Rs 8050 crore worth annual plan for 2013-14 and Rs 600 crores under the Prime Minister’s Re-construction plan as against Rs 7300 crore worth plan and Rs 700 crores under PMRP during 2012-13. However, the last financial year, the State got only Rs 5800 crore as against approved plan amount of Rs 7300 crores as the Planning Commission had imposed a cut of Rs 1500 crores in the plan. Overall, the State got Rs 2130 crores less than the authorized funds last fiscal.
For the current year also, the State’s plan had run into rough weather as the Planning Commission had expressed inability to finance the highest ever annual plan of the State worth Rs 8050 crores and offered only Rs 5800 crores worth plan, which was equal to the amount given to the State in the last fiscal year.
The State had rejected such a low plan and a plan meeting between Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission of India, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, scheduled for May 20 had been cancelled. The Chief Minister was to be accompanied by 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 Ahmad Khan.
Following intervention of the Chief Minister, who had reportedly taken up the issue with Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, the Planning Commission has reportedly relented on the amount. The State Government was now confident that it would get 10 per cent step-up over last year’s approved plan to get Rs 8050 crores this year.
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