Srinagar, June 16: Following the assurance by the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh of liberal funding to Jammu and Kashmir, chief minister Omar Abdullah will be meeting the Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission, Montek Singh Ahluwalia in New Delhi on Friday to firm-up the state’s annual plan for the current fiscal.
 The meeting is scheduled to take place on June 18 at 3:30 pm in the Planning Commission office, Commissioner/Secretary Planning, BB Vyas told Greater Kashmir.
 Official sources said the state government was “very confident” that PC would approve the projected Rs 7,200 crore 2010-11 annual plan for Jammu and Kashmir including Rs 1,200 crore financial assistance under Prime Ministers’ Reconstruction Program. “We are hopeful to get the projected plan size, let us see what happens,” officials said.   
 The PC would take an overview of the development works in different sectors like health, education besides reviewing the plan expenditures for the last fiscal ahead of approving the plan size for current fiscal, said Vyas. “We have been able to spend more than 90 percent of the plan size for the last fiscal which is a healthy sign.”     
 Besides Chief Minister, the Finance Minister, Abdul Rahim Rather, state’s Economic Advisor, Jaleel Ahmad Khan, Chief Secretary SS Kapur and top officials of the Finance and Planning Departments would be the part of state delegation. Officials said the PC members were likely to raise the queries about delay on part of the state government to execute the development works which often results in cost escalation of the projects. The delay had forced the government to introduce 3rd party monitoring system of projects to ensure timely completion.
 Officials said the Planning Commission would seek details on the reforms in the urban development and power sectors besides asking for the reasons for delay in elections to the local bodies and Panchayats, which was affecting the flow of development funds.
 The meeting is also expected to discuss the losses incurred by the state due to gap in revenue and expenditure, pattern of monetary assistance the state would be getting from the centre to bridge this gap and the central special assistance the state is expecting.
 Economic Advisor, Jaleel Ahmad Khan said the resource meeting held earlier with the PC members had already finalized how the state was going to pool up the resources including revenue from taxes and other sources to meet the expenditures under the plan.
 The state government had projected the demand of Rs 7200 crore with the PC for 2010-11 including the assistance under PMRP. Though the final meeting between PC Deputy Chairman and JK chief Minister to fix the plan size got delayed, the Finance Minister, Abdul Rahim Rather had already incorporated the figure of Rs 6000 crore worth annual plan and Rs 1200 crore PMRP in the budget presented by him in the state legislature in March this year subject to change in the plan size figures in the final PC meeting.
 Though the government had come under criticism for delay in the annual plan fixation, it had authorized the DDCs to utilize 50 percent revenue component and 25 percent capital component till the finalization of plan for their respective districts. The government had, however, made it clear that the 25 percent capital component should only be utilized for the ongoing schemes so that their completion doesn’t get delayed for want of funds.
 Planning Department has also given authorization for utilization of cent percent funds in the remote and inaccessible areas in all the districts purely as per last year’s ceiling.
 Officials said the delay in plan finalization was likely to force government to rush through the DDB meetings with the Planning and Finance departments having already set in motion the process to prepare a schedule for the same.
 “The priority for the government will be the hilly areas and the DDB meetings will be completed in these districts in the first place keeping in view the limited working season available in such areas,” sources said.

Lastupdate on : Wed, 16 Jun 2010 21:30:00 Mecca time
Lastupdate on : Wed, 16 Jun 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Thu, 17 Jun 2010 00:00:00 IST