Plan panel wants 60 schemes retained

Finance ministry wanted to stop funding of these projects.

Rejecting finance ministry's proposal, Planning Commission has recommended continuation of around 60 centrally sponsored schemes, which will involve an outlay of Rs 2,655 crore in the Budget for 2006-07.

The schemes were under the ministries of agriculture, information and broadcasting and human resources Development, Planning Commission officials said.

The commission has, however, decided to discontinue the 10th Plan's five schemes for secondary and higher education as no action has been taken for these schemes till now. It has informed the finance ministry of its decisions.

The schemes that will be scrapped are Education In Human Values, Technology Development Mission, Modernisation and Removal of Obsolescence, Research and Development, and National Programme for Human Resources Development in Information Technology. Proposed allocation for these in the 2006-2007 Budget is Rs 6.33 crore.

The schemes Planning Commission wants retained are Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS), which needs Rs 26 crore, IITs (Rs 198 crore), IIMs (Rs 31.51 crore), Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (Rs 81.5 crore), grants-in-aid and loans to Prasar Bharti (Rs 337.23 crore) and two schemes on consumer affairs (Rs 93.46 crore).

Against the 10th Plan outlay of Rs 2,420 crore for KVS/NVS, the anticipated expenditure during the first three years of the 10th Plan period is Rs 1,549.13 crore, accounting for 65 per cent of the outlay.

In case of IITs, against a 10th Plan outlay of Rs 612 crore, Rs 638.43 crore was spent in the first three years of the Plan. Expenditure of Rs 105.10 crore up to September 2005 is 50 per cent of the outlay of Rs 220 crore for 2005-06. In case of IIMs, expenditure for the first three years is Rs 56.20 crore against the 10th Plan outlay of Rs 150 crore.

Access with Equity Scheme and Quality Improvement in Schools Scheme with an annual budget allocation of Rs 9 crore each will also be retained. The 10th Plan outlay for the scheme is Rs 305 crore but the ministry spent Rs 29.40 crore in the first three years of the Plan period.

Till September 2005, only Rs 2.51 crore were spent against an annual outlay of Rs 10 crore. Low fund utilisation was due to the scheme being reformulated and approved only in January 2004, Planning Commission sources said.

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SCHEME OF THINGS

The schemes will involve an outlay of Rs 2,655 crore in the Budget for 2006-07

They come under the ministries of agriculture, information and broadcasting and HRD

The commission has decided to discontinue the 10th Plan's five schemes for secondary and higher education

Proposed allocation for these in the 2006-2007 Budget is Rs 6.33 crore