The Hindu : Front Page : State's annual Plan size fixed at Rs.6,210 crores

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Dec 14, 2005

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State's annual Plan size fixed at Rs.6,210 crores

Special Correspondent

Planning Commission allocates Rs.50 crores for Vision 2010

EXPRESSING SATISFACTION: Chief Minister Oommen Chandy (right) shaking hands with Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia at a meeting to finalise the State's Plan for 2006-07 at Yojana Bhavan in New Delhi on Tuesday. Photo: Shank er Chakravarty

NEW DELHI: The Planning Commission has finalised the annual Plan size of Kerala for 2006-07 at Rs.6,210 crores, marking an increase of 15.65 per cent over last year. A decision to this effect was taken here on Tuesday after a meeting between Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia.

Briefing mediapersons after the meeting, Mr. Chandy expressed satisfaction over the fact that the Planning Commission had fixed Kerala's annual Plan size at the amount sought by the State Government. The State Government's contention is that the Rs.6,210-crore figure is in accordance with the mid-term appraisal of the Tenth Five Year Plan.

This apart, the State Government has sought a one-time additional Central assistance to the tune of Rs.200 crores to implement Vision 2010 drawn up after President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam suggested specific `Missions for Prosperity' for the State. The Planning Commission has allocated Rs.50 crores with the assurance that more would be given after the various missions were launched in January next year, Mr. Chandy said.

At Tuesday's meeting, the Chief Minister reiterated the State Government's grouse over being "unjustifiably'' penalised for its better performance on social, health and poverty indicators. "We have been getting proportionately less and less money from successive Finance Commissions. We also get less under Central Plans for the same reason. The only way left for us, in these circumstances, is to raise resources through institutional finance. Therefore, we have planned to step up bilateral and multilateral aid to the State from Rs.1,178.04 crores in 2005-06 to Rs.1,796.37 crores in 2006-07.''

Besides, the State Government has asked for a special package to address the problem of educated unemployment in Kerala.

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