The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : ‘Centre satisfied with State’s financial position’

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Dec 01, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

‘Centre satisfied with State’s financial position’

Special Correspondent

Bangalore: S. Krishna Kumar, adviser to Governor Rameshwar Thakur, in charge of Finance Department, on Friday said that Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram was satisfied with the financial position of the State government.

Briefing presspersons in the presence of the Governor, Mr. Krishna Kumar said that Mr. Chidambaram had reviewed the financial position of the State government and the implementation of the Fiscal Responsibility Act with Mr. Thakur and the advisers recently in New Delhi.

Budget exercise

Mr. Chidambaram, he said, had expressed satisfaction over the financial position of the governments in four or five States, including Karnataka.

He said that the State budget exercise for 2008-09 had begun.

The State government would be represented at the National Development Council meeting on December 19 for approving the 11th Plan. The budget would be prepared in collaboration with the Union Finance Ministry which would also approve the State’s plan size.

On whether any decisions made by the H.D. Kumaraswamy government had been kept in abeyance as demanded by the Congress, the Governor said no such decisions had been taken.

Instead, he said the top officers had been directed to expedite all projects for which approvals had been given and funds sanctioned, in the next four months.

All the targets should be met. No work should be kept pending, he added.

The Principal Secretary (Finance) would meet all district-level officers in two days for guiding them in implementing the project works. P.P. Prabhu, adviser, said that deputy commissioners in the districts had been directed to give yellow cards to only genuine BPL families.

The verification of the BPL cards would be intensified., he said

Term extended

Mr. Krishna Kumar said it had been decided to extend the term of the State’s Finance Commission, headed by A.G. Kodgi, for another six months.

The commission had been asked to complete its work by June 30 next year.

Of the 523 applications received from the people for medical relief, 381 were approved and a total of Rs.17.25 lakh was sanctioned.

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