An Annual Plan size of Rs. 6300 crore for the year 2018-19 was approved in the meeting of State Planning Board held here today with an increase of 10.51 percent as compared to last year Annual Plan of Rs. 5700 crore under the Chairmanship of Chief Minister Shri Jai Ram Thakur.Social Services Sector, Transport and Communication, Agriculture & allied activities, Energy and Irrigation and Flood Control etc. have been given added priority in Annual Plan.An outlay of Rs. 2548 crore has been proposed for social service sector, followed by transport and communication with proposed outlay of Rs.1095 crore. The third priority has been accorded to agriculture and allied activities sector for which an outlay of Rs. 844 crore has been proposed while energy sector is proposed Rs. 682 crore. Rs. 431 crore has been proposed for irrigation and flood control and Rs. 285 crore for general economic services while other sectors are proposed Rs. 415 crore.
Chief Minister said that Rs. 653 crore has been proposed under Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF), loan funding from NABARD. He said that under this a sum of Rs. 368 crore has been proposed for roads and bridges, Rs. 130 crore for rural water supply schemes, Rs. 110 crore for minor irrigation schemes, Rs. 38 crore for micro irrigation and poly houses (Agriculture) besides flood control and food and civil supply sectors.Earlier, Chief Minister released a book 'Strategies for Doubling Farmers Income in Himachal Pradesh' by Shri H.C. Sharma on the occasion. Food and Civil Supplies Minister Shri Kishan Kapoor, Education Minister Shri Suresh Bhardwaj, Urban Development Minister Smt. Sarveen Chaudhary, Health and Family Welfare Minister Shri Vipin Parmar, Forest Minister Shri Govind Singh Thakur, Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Dr. Rajiv Saizal were also present in the meeting and gave their valuable suggestions.Chief Secretary Shri Vineet Chawdhry, Additional Chief Secretary Finance Dr. Shrikant Baldi, and senior officers were present on the occasion amongst others.