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Thursday, Jun 10, 2004

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Punjab finalises draft Annual Plan

By Our Staff Correspondent

CHANDIGARH, JUNE 9. The Punjab State Planning Board, chaired by the Chief Minister, Amarinder Singh, has finalised the Draft Annual Plan for 2004-05 at Rs.3503.81 crores as against the core plan outlay of Rs.2822 crores for the previous year, indicating an increase of 24.16 per cent.

Outlining the sectoral priorities, the Chief Minister through an official release here today said that the enhanced provision had been made under the sectors like Agriculture and Allied Activities, Rural Development, Power, Transport, Science & Technology and Social Services. He further said that out of Rs.3503.81 crore, an outlay of Rs. 524.47 crores had been earmarked for implementation of various district level schemes against the requirement of district development plans amounting to Rs.831.80 crore.

The release said that an additional amount of Rs.410.40 crore was required to be provided in the annual plan 2004-05 under various schemes of different departments as highlighted in the pre-budget review meetings.

A report of the Plan Resource Committee, constituted under the chairmanship of noted agri-economist S.S. Johl who is also the Vice Chairman of the Board to identify find ways and means to fund the Annual Plan, was discussed in detail. The report was aimed at mobilising additional resources of Rs. 2550 crore against the requirement of additional resources of Rs.1387 crore by the State Government. It was also decided in the meeting that in case all the recommendations of the committee were accepted by the State Government, the size of the Annual Plan 2004-05 could be enhanced to Rs.4500 crore. It was also decided to circulate the recommendations of the Johl Committee to the concerned administrative departments with the direction to bring forth a detailed paper indicating their views regarding the recommendations for mobilisation of resources as well as administrative and policy measures suggested. Consequently, the paper would be discussed department- wise by the Cabinet Sub-Committee on fiscal management and taken to the Council of Ministers.

The meeting also approved the Punjab Human Development Report and considered the State Development Report prepared by the Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development (CRRID) in 2002 and presented before Planning Commission. A report on the impact of implementation of the WTO agreement on Punjab's economy by an experts' committee under the chairmanship of the former Union Minister for Planning & Power, Chairman of Agriculture & Industrial Costs, Y.K. Alagh, was also discussed in the meeting. The Alagh Committee had made recommendations on the suitability of the cropping pattern to ensure maximum benefit to farmers and orchards, setting up of Agriculture Board (AAB) to build a sound and reliable marketing, information, processing and export infrastructure need.

Prominent among those present in the meeting included; the Deputy Chief Minister, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, Cabinet and State Ministers, Chief Secretary, Jai Singh Gill, senior Administrative Secretaries and the Deputy Commissioners.

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Punjab finalises draft Annual Plan