The Hindu 31.05.2013
Rs. 53,000-crore plan outlay cleared for State
Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy has secured the Planning Commission’s approval to a Rs. 53,000-crore plan outlay for the State for 2013-14 as presented before the legislature as part of the Rs. 1.61 lakh crore budget on Thursday.
A sum of Rs. 6,422 crore, which will accrue to the State under Centre-sponsored schemes for the year, will take the overall plan outlay to a high of Rs. 59,422 crore -- 8.2 per cent higher compared to that of the previous fiscal. The plan outlay was finalised at a three-hour-long marathon meeting with officials of the commission in New Delhi.
Mr Reddy, who utilised the occasion to discuss a range of other matters with Deputy Chairman of the commission, Montek Singh Ahluwalia and other officials, made an impassioned plea, seeking investment clearance to the Polavaram project based on its revised cost (Rs. 16,010 crore) and its recommendation to the Centre to take it up as national project along with Pranahita-Chevella (Rs. 38,500 crore), a mega project being implemented to benefit Telangana.
Accompanied by Finance Minister Anam Ramanarayan Reddy, and principal secretaries of Finance and Planning V. Bhaskar and S. P Tucker, he firmly told the commission that Andhra Pradesh would achieve a 10 per cent economic growth during the 12th Plan -- 1.2 per cent higher than that of the projected national average. The State’s expenditure would take a quantum jump and reach a peak of Rs. 3.42 lakh crore during this period, the per capita being Rs. 75,270 as against the national average of Rs 68,747. The commission complimented the State as Mr. Reddy explained the launching of the sub-plans for Scheduled Castes and Tribes, Bangaru Thalli, girl child protection scheme, and Amma Hastham through which nine essential commodities were being sold to white cardholders at subsidised rates.
At a media briefing later, the Chief Minister, however, ruled out the possibility of implementing the cash transfer scheme for scholarships and pensions as the Centre was meeting only a part of the expenditure on them.
He said as advised by the commission, projects worth Rs. 20,000 crore would be submitted for approval later under Phase II of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission.
