New Delhi, July 24: Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah today said government was working on comprehensive Public-Private Partnership (PPP) framework to attract private investment in core infrastructure and social sectors.
 He added a sub-committee of the state cabinet was working on the PPP frame work currently.
 Omar suggested that in terms of formulation of the Twelfth Five Year Plan, the most important change should be to move away from output to employment. “We need to target employment growth as a key variable and not as a derived variable. In addition to the sectoral allocations, which have to be made on employment intensity basis, we need direct interventions in sectors that hold high employment potential,” he added.
 He said agriculture and horticulture were key sectors in the economic development of J&K as such required focused attention in the 12th Five Year Plan. 
 Maintaining that J&K could emerge as leader in hydro electric generation, the Chief Minister sought the Central grant of Rs. 2800 crore as special financial support to meet the equity requirement in respect of joint venture projects with NHPC and PTC. “We also request for providing financial support for implementing the turnaround plan in power transmission and distribution system worked out by TERI.
 Addressing the National Development Council (NDC) meeting here, the CM expressed gratitude on behalf of the people and the government of J&K to the Prime Minister and UPA Chairperson for their “un-stinted support to the State.”
 “We also thank the Central Government for providing the necessary financial resources for sustaining our plan sizes, the 13th Finance Commission Award of Rs. 40557 crore to address to a large extent, some of our fiscal concerns and the grant-loan combination of Rs 2300 crore helping us in neutralizing our structural liabilities with J&K Bank”.
 On plan performance under the Eleventh Plan, Chief Minister said that first three years of the plan have led to positive gains both in the infrastructure and social sectors. He also mentioned the intervention under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan (SSA) for massive expansion and infrastructure development registered in the elementary education sector adding that literacy rate in the State has gone up from 55.50% in 2001 to 65.67% in 2008.
 Omar said that the State is better than the national average in most health indicators like the birth rate, death rate, child sex ratio, institutional deliveries, breast feeding etc. “A comprehensive action plan in the health sector has been formulated for a period of five years in two phases”.
 Underlining private sector involvement in key sectors as of great avail in growth of the gross State domestic product, Omar said, “We shall welcome any interest in this regard from the private sector”. He said that only recently the 690 MW Ratle Hydro Power Project has been allocated to a private player under a tariff based competitive bidding mechanism.

Lastupdate on : Sat, 24 Jul 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sat, 24 Jul 2010 18:30:00 GMT
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