Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Mar 21: The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) today reviewed progress on mega development projects, Prime Minister’s Re-construction Plan (PMRP) and Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) in Jammu and Kashmir with top bureaucrats of the State including those from Planning and Finance Departments of the State in New Delhi.
The meeting reviewed needs of Jammu and Kashmir for next financial year also especially under the PMRP, official sources told the Excelsior. The meeting lasted more than two hours.
Chief Secretary Mohammad Iqbal Khandey, Principal Secretary Planning Development Department BR Sharma, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Incharge Finance Department BB Vyas and Principal Secretary Power Arun Kumar Mehta among others represented Jammu and Kashmir in the meeting. Top brass of the PMO led by Principal Secretary to PM Pulok Chatterji joined the meeting. Home Secretary R K Singh was also present.
The meeting was also a follow up of the one-to-one inter-action Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had with Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh sometimes back to discuss financial requirements of the State.
Sources said the officials from the State explained in detail the progress on mega projects including power projects, Mughal Road etc, which were being executed under Centrally Sponsored Schemes, Prime Minister’s Re-construction Plan (PMRP) and other schemes with funding from the Union Government.
Describing the meeting as “significant” that ended on “positive note”, sources expressed confidence that the amount of the State Government under the PMRP, which hadn’t been released so far, would start flowing. The PMRP amount is non-lapsable and would extend to next year if it was not utilised in full.
The Planning Commission has released the plan amount of the State for 2012-13 to quite an extent and rest of the amount was expected to pour in during the next few days to ensure that it was spent before the closure of current financial year.
Sources said the Union Government and the Planning Commission had approved Rs 700 crore for Jammu and Kashmir under the PMRP in the State sector. However, no significant amount had been released under the PMRP prompting the Chief Minister to take up the matter with the Prime Minister.
The officer level meeting of the PMRP and State bureaucrats was aimed at sorting out the issues leading to delay in release of the funds. During last financial year, the Centre had approved Rs 1200 crores under the PMRP for J&K but the State had been able to spend only Rs 467 crores, a result of which the Centre, this year, had sanctioned only Rs 700 crores under the PMRP.
For next financial year i.e. 2013-14, the State has further reduced the projected amount under the PMRP to Rs 600 crores.
Sources said since most of the projects under the PMRP in the State sector have been executed the sanctioned amount and the expenditure has come down. However, the State bureaucrats told the PMO officers that the Government planned to undertake some new projects under the PMRP in the upcoming financial year.
According to sources, the State Government was confident that the meeting of the Chief Minister with the Prime Minister followed by bureaucratic level talks of the State with the PMO would pave the way for release of the PMRP amount and execution of projects undertaken by the Government in the State sector.
Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh as a head of UPA-I had announced Rs 24,600 crore worth PMRP for J&K under Central and State sectors. Majority of amount was kept under the Central sector in which the agencies of the Government of India had to construct the projects including power projects. The PMRP has been extended thrice. The Government was confident that it would be extended once again for 2013-14 and the Centre would approve Rs 600 crore demanded by it for next fiscal.
Cabinet Secretary Ajit Kumar Seth, Home Secretary RK Singh along with a number of Union Secretaries were scheduled to visit Jammu on March 19 to review mega development projects especially those being executed under PMRP and Centrally Sponsored Schemes but the one day visit had to be cancelled due to Parliament session in New Delhi and Assembly session in the State. The meeting was expected to be held in the next few days.
For 2013-14, the State has projected the demand of Rs 8000 crore under annual plan and Rs 600 crore under PMRP as against Rs 7300 crore worth plan and Rs 700 crore PMRP in the current financial year.
An official handout said during the meeting, several issues were considered including extension of PMRP upto 2014-2015, subsidizing of air fare by Ministry of Home Affairs for Srinagar-Kargil-Srinagar and Jammu-Kargil-Jammu routes to make the flights commercially viable, setting up of three small airports at Rajouri, Kishtwar and Poonch by Civil Aviation Ministry in consultation with full funding from the Union Tourism Ministry. The cost escalation of Rs.190 Crore in respect of T&D projects under PMRP was also agreed in principle.
The meeting was told that State Government will move a proposal for waving the idle power purchase cost of Nemo-Bazgo and Chhutak HEPs constructed by NHPC. The meeting was informed that out of the 50 tourist villages, 29 villages have been completed and remaining 21 tourist villages will be approved in 2013-14 and the solar dryer projects in Ladakh region will be funded on 50% subsidy basis under the Food Processing Mission.
It was stated that State Government will expedite the manufacture of carpet looms to achieve the target of 40,000 looms and the State Government will move the proposal for 50:50 funding of the recurring cost of NIFT.
The Central team will visit the State to explore the possibility of starting the NIFT courses this year in a rented accommodation to be facilitated by the State Government.
The meeting decided that work permission will be given immediately for expansion of Jammu Airport.
Commissioner Secretary R&B, Ms. Tanvir Jehan, Commissioner Secretary Tourism, Atul Dullo, CEO ERA, Saurabh Bhagat and Vice Chairman LAWDA, Irfan Yaseen were also present in the meeting.
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