Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Oct 31: The Planning and Development Department of the State Government will set into motion the process for plan finalization of three regions of Jammu and Kashmir and 21 major Departments of the Government from November 16.
For the first time, Chief Secretary BR Sharma, who also holds charge of the Planning and Development Department, whose Ministry is held by Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, will review and take the plan meetings of all 21 Government departments in addition to three regions of the State—Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh, official sources told the Excelsior.
The NITI Aayog will review plan requirements of Jammu and Kashmir only after culmination of plan meetings of the State Government, sources said, adding that the Government was expecting handsome amount from the Central Government for next financial year.
Though plan and non-plan have been subsumed from the current financial year by the new Government, the State has to present its case for State share under various Centrally funded schemes to gain sufficient amount from the Centre, sources said, adding that eight days long exercise is being set into motion from November 16 by the Planning and Development Department to ascertain needs of all State Government departments and region wise plan allocations.
“The plans of all 20 districts of Jammu and Kashmir regions will be reviewed and next year’s strategy discussed and debated on November 24 in two separate sittings while third sitting on the same day will be devoted to Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Leh and Kargil, which governs two districts of Ladakh region,’’ sources said.
The meeting will be held in Jammu, the winter capital of the State and the State Government has already issued a circular calling upon all senior officers of Planning and Development, Finance and other major departments to remain present in Jammu on November 24. The concerned officers from Kashmir and top brass of the LAHDC, Leh and Kargil, will also attend the meetings here.
Sources said the Planning and Development Department has directed all major 21 Government departments to get ready with their requirements of next year plan allocations and review for current year on dates and timings already conveyed to them through an official order issued by the Planning Department.
As the Chief Secretary will himself be discussing and reviewing plan allocations for next financial year of 2015-16 in his capacity as Planning and Development Department Secretary, entire discussions will be finished in eight days, beginning November 16. Three departments will be discussed in a day.
“The plan allocations are made region and department wise based on discussions held by the bureaucrats including Administrative Secretaries, Heads of Departments and other senior officers with the Planning and Development Department,’’ sources said.
This year, the Government is going for early presentation of the annual budget for 2015-16 in the Legislature and, therefore, the review for plan allocations has also been advanced. According to sources, the Government could present general budget for next financial years in first or second week of January 2016.
As per the Government schedule, the plan allocations for Social Welfare/Tribal Affairs, Industries and Commerce and School Education will be taken up on first day on November 16 in three separate sittings. The next day, plan allocations for Rural Development, Housing and Urban Development and Forest Departments will be taken up while Agriculture/Floriculture, Health and Medical Education and Animal, Sheep Husbandry and Fisheries will be debated on November 18.
PWD, PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control and Power would come for review on November 19 while Tourism, Higher, Physical and Technical Education, Civil Aviation, Information, Estates and Hospitality and Protocol would be debated on November 20.
Law, Finance, Home, Revenue, Cooperatives, Science and Information Technology have been listed for debate on November 21.
Labour and Employment, CAPD/Transport and ARI, Trainings, IMPA, State Information Commission, Public Services Commission, Survey and Statistics and Planning Machinery would come up for discussion on November 23.
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