Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah led State team comprising Minister for Finance, Minister for Planning, MoS Planning, Economic Advisor, Chief Secretary and various senior officers met Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission of India to hold the final round of discussions on the State’s Annual Plan for the current financial year (2013-14) here today. The State Govt. presented Annual Plan requirement of Rs.8000 crore, apart from an additional Rs.600 crore for state sector projects under the Prime Minister’s Reconstruction Plan. At the outset, the Chief Minister made a detailed presentation covering the highlights of various developmental initiatives undertaken by the State Govt. during the last fiscal (2012-13) and the key priority areas included in current year’s Plan. The Chief Minister thanked the Central Govt. and Planning Commission for various new developmental initiatives for J&K State particularly the extension of industrial package beyond June 2012, in-principle agreement of 90:10 State Share for all Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) and allotment of coal block which will enable the State to meet its power requirement in winter months.
The Chief Minister highlighted that the year 2012 has been by far the best year in all parameters and had witnessed a 25% decline in violence. He highlighted upon the positive atmosphere of hope, optimism and harmony obtaining in the State and the need for a sustained focus on developmental efforts to build upon peace pidends. Chief Minister briefed the Dy. Chairman about the progress of a number of mega and important projects which have been taken up during the last year. He also shared measures aimed at smart governance in J&K.
The Chief Minister also shared the details of the efforts being made to rein in the power deficit. He also apprised the Planning Commission of the target of 9000 MW of power generation over the 12th and 13th plan. Referring to the City Mobility Plans prepared by M/S RITES , the Chief Minister sought the assistance of Planning Commission for putting in place Mass and Rapid Transport Systems in the two capital cities. Sharing the concerns regarding adverse sex ratio in certain parts of J&K, the Chief Minister endorsed the need for effective implementation of Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Sex Selection/Determination (PCPNDT) Act. The Planning Commission appreciated the significant achievements made by the State Govt. in health and education sectors and in particular complimented it for putting in place the Juvenile Justice legislation.The State Govt.’s efforts on Skill Development of youth were taken note of by the Planning Commission. The meeting also took stock of measures to step up the pace of implementation of HIMAYAT and UDAAN schemes.
Emphasizing the centrality of agriculture & allied sectors in J&K economy, the State Govt. sought liberal assistance from Planning Commission for comprehensive assistance for command area development so as to fully utilize the created irrigated potential.
In his intervention, Dy. Chairman Planning Commission complimented the Chief Minister for making an extensive presentation on the obtaining development scenario in J&K. Observing that the development efforts in J&K needed to be fully supported by Govt. of India, the Planning Commission approved the Plan Outlay for 2013-14 at Rs.7300 crore; along with a special provision of Rs.710 crore for meeting land acquisition cost for PMGSY roads. Further, an amount of Rs..600 crore was approved for funding the state sector projects under the PMRP. In addition to these outlays, the total flow of resources under the Centrally Sponsored Schemes is likely to exceed Rs.3500 crore.
For financing the State’s Annual Plan and the PMRP, apart from Rs.4892 crore of Central Assistance admissible to the State Govt., an additional tranche of Central Assistance of Rs.5505 crore will be made available through a combination of Special Plan Assistance (SPA) and Special Central Assistance (SCA). Taking into account the assistance for state sector PMRP projects and land acquisition for PMGSY roads, the total Central Assistance committed for developmental effort during the year 2013-14 will be of a record high level Rs.11,707 crore. At the conclusion of the meeting, the Chief Minister, while acknowledging the stiff financial constraints of the Central Govt., appreciated the support and financial assistance provided by the Union Ministry of Finance and the Planning Commission to meet the developmental requirements of the State. He assured full and proper utilization of Plan assistance for delivering mandated developmental outcomes.