Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, July 8: A high level State delegation of top bureaucrats including those from Planning and Finance Departments today held threadbare discussions with the Advisors of the Planning Commission of India as a prelude to tomorrow’s two crucial and final plan meetings at Yojana Bhawan in New Delhi.
Chief Secretary Mohammad Iqbal Khandey, Principal Secretary, Planning and Development Department, B R Sharma and Principal Secretary, Finance Department BB Vyas among others had detailed inter-action with the Planning Commission Advisors on the State’s resources, requirements, funding pattern, expenditure etc.
“The meeting was very positive. Everything is going well. We are confident of getting healthy plan tomorrow,” Mr Sharma told the Excelsior on telephone from New Delhi.
He said the State has projected the demand for Rs 8050 crores worth annual plan for 2013-14 financial year tomorrow.
Official sources said the Planning Commission Members and the State bureaucrats would hold “resource meeting” at 11 am tomorrow after which Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah will meet at 3.30 pm to finalise the plan and Prime Minister’s Reconstruction Plan (PMRP).
Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather, Planning Minister Ajay Sadhotra, Minister of State for Finance and Planning Dr Manohar Lal Sharma and Economic Advisor to Government Jalil Ahmad Khan, would join Omar.
Sources said Planning Commission Advisors and Members and top States bureaucrats including the Chief Secretary and senior officers of Planning and Finance Departments would attend the resource meeting.
The Planning Commission had to take detailed assessment of the State’s resources including tax base, expenditure in both plan and non-plan categories, revenue and capital expenditure, plan funding pattern and steps being taken to increase its tax base and reduce the revenue expenditure.
The Chief Secretary, the Planning Secretary and the Finance Secretary would give a detailed presentation to the Planning Commission on their queries on the resources, sources said, adding that the resource meeting was expected to last about two hours.
The final plan meeting between Montek-Omar was scheduled for 3.30 pm tomorrow.
The State has sought Rs 8050 crores worth plan for 2013-14 and Rs 600 crores under the PMRP and was confident that it would get the same amount. The Government has also projected the similar figures in its annual budget for 2013-14.
Three plan meetings of the State with the Planning Commission of India scheduled earlier for May 20, June 2 and July 2 had been postponed due to differences over sanction of the plan.
While the Planning Commission of India wanted to give the State Rs 5800 crores worth plan for 2013-14, which was Rs 1500 crores less than previous financial year’s approved plan of Rs 7300 crores, the State had insisted on Rs 8050 crores worth plan, which was 10 per cent increase over the previous year.
Though the Planning Commission had approved Rs 7300 crores worth plan for the State during 2012-13, it imposed a cut of Rs 1500 crores and sanctioned only Rs 5800 crores.
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