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.
