The Hindu 23.01.2011
Only 42% Plan spending till December 31
The total State Plan outlay was Rs.10,025 crore; local bodies fared badly in spending
Although just one more quarter remains for the close of the current
financial year, the State appears to have slipped in meeting its Plan
targets for the last three quarters with the Plan spending remaining
below 50 per cent as on December 31, 2010.
According to the monthly Plan review conducted by the
State Planning and Economic Affairs Department, based on reports
received till January 11 from 90 out of the 160 implementing officers,
Plan spending up to December 31, 2010, came to only 42 per cent of the
total State Plan outlay of Rs.10,025 crore, the actual amount being
Rs.4,213.87 crore.
The expenditure up to the end of November was
Rs.3,708.79 crore, representing 37 per cent of the outlay. The State was
expected to achieve a Plan spending of 70 per cent of the total outlay
by December 31.
The local bodies too have not fared well in Plan spending.
Out of Rs.2,197.65 crore allocated to the local
self-government institutions in the State Plan, the local bodies could
spend only Rs.716.59 crore (35 per cent) as on December 31.
The government had earmarked Rs.2.050 crore for the
local bodies in the 2010-’11 budget. The government had deducted
Rs.147.65 crore from this as unspent balance and kept Rs.4.35 crore as
unallocated funds to provide special incentive to the best local
self-government institution. While the grama panchayats and
municipalities utilised 39 per cent of the allocated amount by December
31, the share of block panchayats was 40 per cent and that of district
panchayats 36 per cent.
Worst performers
The worst performers have been the municipal
corporations, which together utilised just 27 per cent of the allocation
till the close of the last calendar year.
The implementation of externally-aided projects also has
left much to be desired with the utilisation of funds being a bare 27
per cent. Out of the total outlay of Rs.1,216.48 crore, the total amount
spent till December 31 was Rs. 324.04 crore.
The same was the case with the 11 schemes for food
security for which the total outlay came to Rs.111.07 crore. The total
expenditure on this count till December 31 was Rs.33.97 crores (31 per
cent).