Plan panel clears Rs 11,000 cr for Gujarat

The Planning Commission has hiked the annual plan outlay for the state by 29 per cent to Rs 11,000 crore.

The Planning Commission on Thursday appreciated the state's efforts in bringing down the revenue deficit and increasing resources. State government sources said that the 29 per cent hike in plan outlay was the highest accorded in plan outlay to any state.

The total plan outlay for Gujarat in the 10th Five Year Plan is Rs 47,000 crore. The state has achieved a 15.40 per cent growth in GDP in the last financial year.

"We had insisted for a plan outlay of at least Rs 11,000 crore, as the outlay for the 10th Five Year Plan is Rs 47,000 crore. Besides, we will achieve a 100 per cent plus expenditure of the existing plan outlay, which was pegged at Rs 8518 crore for the current financial year," said Saurabh Dalal, state minister for planning.

"I think that a 29 per cent hike in the plan outlay is the highest given state," a beaming Dalal said.

Dalal said that the GDP growth rate of the state has increased substantially over the past three years.

"From a growth rate of 7.75 per cent in 2001-02, the growth rate increased to 10.10 per cent in 2002-03 and to 15.4 per cent in 2003-04. Even the expenditure spending and other growth parameters have shown an upward trend," the minister said.

Dalal said that the Planning Commission has asked state government to bring the poverty level to zero in the next few years.

"The Commission has praised Gujarat's efforts at poverty alleviation and has stated that we should aim at complete eradication of poverty. From 1992 to 2000, the number of persons under the poverty line has fallen from 63 lakh to 39 lakh," he said.

Among those who met Planning Commission officials on Thursday in Delhi included chief minister Narendra Modi, finance minister Vajubhai Vala, state minister for planning Saurabh Dalal and officials of the finance and planning departments.

Modi listed down several schemes and projects such as the Sujalam-Sufalam project, the Sardar Sarovar project and the Jyoti Gram project currently being implemented by the state government.