Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Dec 10: In a major setback to development works, the Planning Commission of India (PCI) has not released even a single penny from out of Rs 2200 crores worth Special Plan Assistance (SPA) for Jammu and Kashmir even when just three and half months were left for the current financial year to end and just a little over one and a half months for imposition of Model Code of Conduct (MCC) in view of Lok Sabha elections.
Official sources told the Excelsior that the amount under SPA, which was part of Rs 7300 crores worth annual plan the Planning Commission had approved for the State for 2013-14 in July this year, hasn’t been released so far. Normally, the amount under SPA was received in October.
“Inordinate delay in release of SPA has stalled the development projects, which the State Government had to undertake during the current financial year. The Planning and Development Department of Jammu and Kashmir has prepared the list of projects to be undertaken under the SPA and submitted it to the Planning Commission of India,’’ they said.
They added that even without submission of the list of projects, which the State Government proposed to execute during current financial year under the SPA, the Planning Commission could have released a part of the amount under Special Plan Assistance. The Commission can release full amount after submission of the project lists by the State Government, they said.
The State Government was worried that like previous financial year of 2012-13, the Planning Commission might impose cuts in the SPA without any reason leading to hampering of development works, which had to be executed under it. During last fiscal year, the Planning Commission had imposed cuts to the tune of Rs 1500 crores out of approved plan of Rs 7300 crores giving the State only Rs 5800 crores.
However, for the current financial year, the Planning Commission had approved Rs 7300 crores worth plan only, which included Rs 2200 crores worth SPA as against Rs 8000 crores sought by the State Government. The Planning Commission, in fact, wanted to give Rs 5800 crores only to the State for 2013-14 like the previous year by following resentment shown by the Government the amount was increased to Rs 7300 crores, which was still Rs 700 crores less than what the State had sought.
Sources said the senior officers of the Planning and Development Department of the State have taken up the matter with the Planning Commission for early release of the SPA so that the development works identified under this component of annual plan, which have already been identified across the State, were undertaken in hand and executed.
“As the State Government was expecting imposition of Model Code of Conduct by the Election Commission of India by the end of January or start of February in view of Lok Sabha elections due to in April-May, it would become difficult for the Government to start new development works if there was further delay in release of the SPA component by the Planning Commission of India,’’ sources said.
The Government was, however, confident that since the State bureaucrats have taken up the issue with the Planning Commission, the PCI would ensure early release of the SPA without any further delay so that the works identified by the Government were started well in time.
Sources said generally the Planning Commission of India should have released part of the SPA in October this year to help the State Government initiate development works under this component and released full amount by January. However, this hasn’t happened and the PCI has so far not released even a single penny in favour of the State to help it start the development works.
Worthwhile to mention here that the Planning and Development Department of the State had to identify the projects in all the districts, which were to be executed under the SPA and submit their list to the Planning Commission for full release of amount under this component of the annual plan. However, the Planning Commission can release a part of the amount under this category even before submission of projects to ensure that works in the State didn’t suffer.
During last financial year also, the Planning Commission had imposed a cut of about 25 per cent in the SPA.
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