Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, June 7: The Government has directed chairpersons of the District Development Boards (DDBs) to go ahead with the DDB meetings for finalisation of annual plan of the districts for current financial year of 2014-15 without waiting for approval of Jammu and Kashmir’s plan by the Government of India, which was expected to be delayed in view of change of the Government at the centre and resignations by the Deputy Chairman and Members of the Planning Commission, who used to finalize the plan of the States.
Official sources told the Excelsior that the Government has asked the chairpersons of all DDBs, who happened to be the Ministers, to go ahead with the DDB meetings after finalizing the schedule in consultations with the Planning and Development Department. The Government has asked the DDB chairpersons to conclude the meetings in July as the Government wanted to hold one last brief session of the Assembly in August before imposition of Model Code of Conduct for the Assembly elections.
Sources said the Planning and Development Department has asked the District Development Commissioners (DDCs) to finalize annual plan for current financial year at par with previous financial year of 2013-14 as it has projected the plan of Rs 7300 crores for 2014-15, equal to that of previous year. Therefore, the Government has decided against any increase in district plan for current fiscal year.
“We won’t be in a position to increase annual plan of the districts for third consecutive year as there would be no increase in the State plan for the same financial year, which was Rs 7300 crores in 2012-13 and 2013-14 and has been projected for same amount for current fiscal,” sources said.
They added that the DDB chairpersons of their districts would be taking the concerned Members of Parliament (MPs), legislators and other members from the Board apart from the DDCs into confidence before finalizing dates of the DDB meetings in which annual plan of the districts for current financial year and development works to be undertaken in the year would be finalized.
The DDB meetings would also review ongoing works and approve additional funds for their completion.
Sources said since there was no word by the new Government at the Centre so far on whether they would set up the new Planning Commission or empower Finance and Planning Minister to finalize plans of the States, the Government was anticipating delay in approval of their plans for 2014-15.
With Model Code of Conduct likely to be imposed by the end of August or start of September for Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, the State Government would like all DDB meetings to conclude in July with finalization of the plan of the districts. The Government was yet to take a decision on whether Chief Minister Omar Abdullah would attend the DDB meetings or the DDB chairpersons would themselves finalize the annual plan of the districts.
Since Omar Abdullah happens to be Chairman of Jammu and Srinagar DDBs’ chairman, he would have to chair the two meetings in summer and winter capitals of the State. However, the meetings of Jammu and Srinagar DDBs were likely to be held only after the meetings of the other districts are completed.
The State Government has projected Rs 7300 crores worth annual plan for 2014-15, Rs 600 crores under Prime Minister’s Re-construction Plan (PMRP) and Rs 4000 crores under the Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) from the Government of India.
The State has already authorized the DDCs and other Departments to use full plan amount for current financial year pending approval of the plan so that the development works didn’t suffer and salaries and pension of serving and retired employees was paid every month.
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