The Hindu 13.04.2010
Annual Plan outlay Rs.10,025 crore
J. Balaji
| State to get Additional Central Assistance of Rs.135 crore for 2010-11 |
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.