Chhattisgarh gears up to beat Planning Commission deadline

Chhattisgarh government is working hard to finalise the state's annual plan for the next fiscal and submit the report to the Planning Commission within the deadline that expires on Monday.

The budget discussion for about seven departments in the state could not be completed to give final shape to the department's plan for the next financial year.

The engagement of senior officials in the state foundation day functions and later diwali had been cited as reasons for the delay.

According sources in the state finance department, the planning commission had earlier asked the states to submit the state annual plan by November 10 so that the annual plan of the country could be finalized in the national development council meeting scheduled for next month in the national capital.

The commission later extended the deadline to November 12.

"The state annual plan could not be finalized as more than half-a-dozen departments had not submitted its plan," a senior official said.

The state is also suppose to send report for the eleventh five-year plan this year, the officials with the state planning board are in a fix to list out the priorities to send which plan""state's or five-year""first to the commission, he added.

Moreover, the departments are also under pressure from the government and the ruling party for including major schemes in the plans as state polls in Chhattisgarh are due to be held in November next year.

The government wanted to implement all the sops the ruling party had offered to the electorate before it came to power in December 2003.

The annual Plan of Chhattisgarh for 2007-08 was pegged at Rs 7,413.72 crore inclusive of additional Central assistance of Rs 35 crore for projects of special interest to the State.

While the state planning board is finalizing the plan for Rs 10,000 crore for the financial year 2008-09, it expect to get approval for Rs 8500 crore from the commission.

The officials however said that delay of a few days in submitting the plan could be entertained.

The state government will in fact try to finalise the plan by Monday and forward it to the commission by e-mail so as to meet the deadline.

It will only be an effort, the officials said, adding that they are yet to get the plans from number of departments.