Top bureaucrats to attend
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, May 25: The Planning Commission of India (PCI) has fixed a crucial meeting with top bureaucrats of Jammu and Kashmir for annual plan finalisation in New Delhi on June 8. It would be the wrap up meeting before the plan is finally clinched in a meeting between Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who hold the portfolio of Planning Department and Finance Minister Abdullah Rahim Rather.
Official sources told the Excelsior that the Planning Commission has given nod to the State Government for penultimate meeting on plan finalisation on June 8. Soon after getting the PCI nod, the Government has directed all Principal Secretaries and Commissioner/Secretaries to finalise their drafts for presentation before the Planning Commission.
The State group of bureaucrats would be headed by Chief Secretary Madhav Lal and would comprise majority of Principal Secretaries and Commissioner Secretaries of different departments, who would hold final talks with the Planning Commission members on their needs for annual plan for 2012-13, Prime Minister’s Re-construction Plan (PMRP) and other Centrally Sponsored Schemes.
After the State’s top bureaucrats’ meeting with the Planning Commission members, the PCI would fix final meeting for annual plan finalisation with the Chief Minister and the Finance Minister.
The final meeting was also expected in the month of June, sources said.
Worthwhile to mention here that annual plan of various States including neighbouring Punjab and Himachal Pradesh has already been finalized. Due to delay in plan finalisation, the Government had already issued directions to all Government Departments for plan utilization up to the extent of 25 per cent. The Government had also directed the District Development Commissioners to go ahead with already undertaken development works.
The Government had been funding 25 per cent funds utilization by the Departments and ongoing development works through its own internal resources.
Sources said the top bureaucrats of the State would make a comprehensive presentation before the Planning Commission seeking Rs 7300 crore worth annual plan, a 10 per cent step-up over previous year’s plan size of Rs 6600 crore, and Rs 700 crore under PMRP as against previous year’s Rs 1200 crore.
The amount under PMRP was expected to be reduced this year as a number of works under it have been completed while many others were nearing completion. Moreover, the State hadn’t been able to utilize Rs 1200 crore under PMRP during past two consecutive financial years.
Sources said the State would present sector and Department wise needs to the Planning Commission of India for securing healthy plan and other funding. For the purpose, a detailed exercise has already been done by the Administrative Secretaries, which would be given a final touch in the coming few days to be well prepared before June 8 meeting.
Last year, J&K’s annual plan had been finalized on June 18. The State Government was confident that after June 8 meeting, the final meeting for plan finalisation would also be held in the next month so that it could go ahead with District Development Board (DDB) meetings shortly to approve and undertake new development works.
The first and the only meeting between Planning Commission and State bureaucrats of Planning and Finance Departments only was held on December 15, 2011. The next meeting was expected in February but it couldn’t be held due to budget session of the Legislature and Assembly elections in five States.
Sources said the Planning Commission in its first meeting with the State bureaucrats had sought the details of targets of Own Tax Revenue in the State, reforms in different sectors and expenditure of current financial year’s plan. The Planning Commission had expressed satisfaction over all three issues.
The delegation had apprised the Planning Commission that the State’s power revenue was also increasing but a big gap remained between power bill and revenue as it can’t initiate all reforms in one go.
“It was in view of this that the State Government had batted for annual power reforms grant to the tune of Rs 2000 crore for few years till the State managed to bring reforms and improve its revenue’’, sources said, adding that the Planning Department assured to give a thought to the State’s demand.
It may be mentioned here that J&K Government was given Rs 1300 crore worth annual power reforms grant for three years in 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09. The grant was later stopped as the Government didn’t take significant power reforms then.
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