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| J&K yet to get nod from Planning Commission for meeting | | Clearance to plan size unlikely before presentation of budget | | CABINET CLEARS BUDGET PROPOSALS
10 PERCENT HIKE IN PREVIOUS PLAN PROJECTED
EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Feb 24: NC led coalition government in the state has not yet got any nod from the Planning Commission with regard to fixing up of a meeting for finalizing the plan outlay for next financial year. The final plan size approval, as such appears to be unlikely before the state presents its annual budget in the state Assembly on March 7. The state cabinet, however, approved the proposals mooted in the next year's budget in the cabinet meeting held here today.
Sources said even as the Finance ministry has finalized the draft of the plan outlay with expected hike in size, justifying increased need and requirement on various sectors, the final figure will only be known after Planning Commission gives nod to it. However, as always, the PC has asked the state to go ahead with 10 percent hike in comparison to the previous plan size which after persuasion by the state government was fixed at Rs 6000cr. For now, the state has went ahead with the hike of 10 percent in the draft plan , which puts the plan at nearly 6,600 cr for next fiscal year.
In comparison to the marathon round of meetings ahead of finalizing the Plan outlay last year, the state government has had only one meeting so far at the level of officers of various key departments with the Planning Commission, sources said. In this meeting the officers have explained the spending on various schemes and development works out of the sum that was earmarked from the plan.
Sources said this year even as the state government is keen to get the plan finalized as early as possible and is lobbying for it through different quarters, the Planning Commission has not yet indicated any dates for the highest level plan finalization meeting which takes place between the Deputy Chairperson of the Commission and the Chief Minister and Finance Minister of the state. It also appears unlikely that any meeting of the level of senior officer led by Chief Secretary, which precedes the final meeting, may happen very soon, sources said adding that no dates have been confirmed as yet even for that meeting. In that case the government like the previous year will go ahead with a tentative plan figure in the budget to be presented on March 7.
Now even as the budget will have presumptive figure of plan size incorporating the hike government expects PC may grant, the Chief Minister along with two other Union Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah and Ghulam Nabi Azad have also assured their persuasion with the Centre and Planning Commission in particular for early approval of the plan size, contending they would plead that J&K needs so as it has limited working season in comparison to the other states. Even though it was learnt that Chief Minister during his visit would be able to make some efforts in pushing through the matter of early clearance to plan size besides a substantive hike in the size, his meeting with the concerned quarters have not worked as yet, sources said.
Meanwhile, the state cabinet today gave clearance to almost all the proposals mentioned in the draft of the budget for next financial year. The proposals were discussed threadbare by the ministers of both the alliance partners in a congenial atmosphere with unanimity on the points mooted by the Finance Minister, sources said adding that with the approval from cabinet the budget agenda is through for presentation in the Assembly. The proposals, sources said were however related to non plan expenditures.
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