The Hindu 13.04.2010

Annual Plan outlay Rs.10,025 crore

J. Balaji

Photo: Rajeev Bhatt

All about planning:Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan (centre) and Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac meeting Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia in New Delhi on Monday. —

NEW DELHI: For the first time, Kerala has touched the five figure in Plan outlay: the State's Plan size for 2010-2011 is fixed at Rs.10,025 crore. This is 15.76 per cent more than last year's Rs.8,660 crore.

The Additional Central Assistance (ACA) to the State is also increased to Rs.135 crore got 2010-11 from Rs.110 crore in 2009-10.

The Plan size was finalised here on Monday at a meeting between Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia and his officials and a Kerala team led by Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan, Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac and officials.

Complimenting Kerala for supporting decentralised planning, Dr. Ahluwalia pointed out that the State had provided substantial untied funds to local bodies. Though the State had a high rate of literacy, more efforts were needed to improve the quality of education. He also appreciated Kerala's health insurance scheme.

Role of S&T

On the role of science and technology in development, Dr. Ahluwalia said the science and technology council of the State should formulate a science and technology vision with a definite road map for S&T intervention in development efforts.

Mr. Achuthanandan told the Planning Commission that agriculture, small-scale industries and development of disadvantaged groups would be given special focus. Workers in traditional industries and fishermen would get price-cum-income support. The outlay for agriculture and allied activities, industries and mineral sectors, and IT and e-governance would go up by 50 per cent.

The State government would introduce an urban employment guarantee scheme to complement the rural employment guarantee scheme. It proposed to cover 28 lakh to 30 lakh households under a comprehensive insurance scheme, the premium of which would be paid by the government.

Mr. Achuthanandan sought the Plan body's support in getting Central clearance for the Kochi Metro project on the lines of Delhi Metro.

Later talking to journalists, the Chief Minister said the increase in ACA, by Rs.25 crore, would be utilised for the modernisation of the Kerala State Fire and Rescue Services.

Plan target

“The increase in Plan outlay is the continuation of Kerala's efforts to revive the planning process. With an outlay of Rs.10,025 crore, it is certain that the 11th Plan target of Rs.40,422 crore will be exceeded in five years.”

The increased outlay would help the government to expand the health insurance scheme to cover 28 lakh to 30 lakh households in 2010-11, compared to 11.79 lakh households covered in 2009-10.

Dr. Isaac said the government would give more priority to protection of the State's petty industries, particularly employment in traditional industries and agriculture.

Besides, it would encourage social infrastructure, Information Technology, tourism and light engineering industries. Food security was also one of the top priorities of the government, Dr. Isaac said.

Because of the government's commitment not to privatise public sector undertakings (PSUs), these units which had been making a total loss of Rs.96 crore when the present Left Democratic Front government assumed office were now getting a profit of Rs.200 crore. The government planned to open four more PSUs, he said.

The Hindu 25.03.2010

Tirunelveli Corporation presents a deficit budget

Staff Reporter

TIRUNELVELI: Even as the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam members staged a walkout from the council meeting, Mayor A.L. Subramanian presented the Rs. 10.44-crore deficit Budget for the financial year 2010 – 2011 here on Wednesday.

Even as the revenue of the civic body is likely to stand at Rs. 91.28 crore, the expenditure during this fiscal is expected to be Rs. 101.72 crore.

Speaking on the Budget proposals, Palayamkottai Zone chairman Suba. Seetharaman said the existing age-old drinking water distribution pipes should be replaced with unbreakable pipes so that supply of drinking water to the residents would be more effective.

Melapalayam Zone chairman S.S. Mohamed Maideen said procurement of new vehicles for clearing garbage should be accorded top priority so that cleanliness could be ensured everywhere, which was endorsed by Communist Party of India (Marxist) councillor of ward 19, P. Thiyagarajan.

Even as the Mayor extended his thanks to the members for their encouraging words on the budget proposals, the AIADMK member, Pon. Thangaraj, said his party members were staging a walkout from the meeting “condemning the step-motherly treatment being meted out to the wards represented by the councillors of the opposition party.”

Ignoring the charges, Mr. Subramanian said work on the drinking water project for wards 8, 9 and 10 would commence shortly and the consultant for working on the project to bring water from Papanasam Dam directly to the corporation through a dedicated pipeline would be appointed shortly.

“The ongoing drinking water scheme for the benefit of wards 19, 26 and 27 will be completed before July 2011,” the Mayor informed.

Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition System for monitoring the functioning of water supply at an estimated cost of Rs. 3.15 crore would be executed. ‘Rapid Sand Filter' units would be installed at Kurukkuthurai water supply head works on an outlay of Rs. 3.25 crore while four desilting equipments on an outlay of Rs. 32 lakh would also be procured, he said.

The corporation administrative block would have a new building to be constructed at a cost of Rs. 5 crore after removing the existing VOC Building. Financial assistance to the tune of Rs. 8.35 crore would be made available to the poor for the construction of new houses or upgrading the existing ones under the Centre's Integrated Housing and Slum Development Programme.

Extension and execution of underground drainage scheme for the hitherto uncovered areas would be taken up during this fiscal. Replacement of drinking water supply main pipes in wards 30 to 32 would be done at a cost of Rs. 28 lakh while installation of new streetlights would be taken up on an outlay of Rs. 30 lakh.