Fresh Plan funds likely for jobs

Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia has said that fresh allocations will be made for the next two fiscal years of the Xth Plan period for certain important schemes of the UPA Government's Common Minimum Programme (CMP).

According to him, more allocations would be made in sectors like Sarva Siksha Abhiyan, the mid-day meal scheme and the food-for-work programme.

Speaking to reporters after the first session of consultations with the southern chief ministers on the mid-term appraisal of the Xth Plan, Ahluwalia said, "Besides these schemes for which no allocation was made in the first two fiscal years of the X Plan originally, other critical areas such as irrigation and infrastructure will receive additional allocations in the remaining plan period for enabling the economy to grow by 7-8 per cent of the GDP."

Ahluwalia said that the quantum of allocations to these sectors will be determined in January after the completion of the mid-term appraisal of the Xth Plan.

He admitted that earlier the irrigation and infrastructure sectors did not get the priority they deserved.

"We do believe we should do more in the irrigation sector than we are doing now. Irrigation and agriculture have been a neglected lot. There is an urgent need to revisit them to ensure uniform growth and consistency. We need to be less monsoon-dependent for farm growth by investing in irrigation projects in a big way to negate shortfall and maintain higher GDP growth," he said.

Ahluwalia hoped the Indian economy would be able to achieve the projected 7-8 per cent GDP target in the next two fiscal years though there was a big slippage in achieving the set targets during the first two years of the Xth plan period.

"In the plan period that has already gone, there has been a big slippage from the original target of 8 per cent to 6 per cent and it is not possible to make it up. But we hope in the remaining plan period, the economy would be able achieve the 7-8 per cent GDP growth in the wake of the push being given in the thrust areas," he said.

During the pre-lunch session, the regional conference dealt with issues like agriculture and agriculture credit, relieving rural unemployment and food for work programmes, urban and rural infrastructure and the social sector.

With the Xth Plan completing two-and-a-half years, this discussion will enable states to put forth their demand for higher allocation to various programmes in social sectors.

"The interaction with the southern CMs was interesting and educating as their feedback on the problems faced by their states will be incorporated in the approach paper for the mid-term appraisal of the X Plan," Ahluwalia declared.

Barring Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa, Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y Rajashekar Reddy, Karnataka chief minister N Dharam Singh, Kerala chief minister Oomen Chandy, Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and Pondicherry chief minister N Rangasamy attended the conference. Tamil Nadu was represented by state chief secretary Lakshmi Pranesh represented Tamil Nadu at the regional conference.