Centre yet to form Plan panel
SHILLONG: The implementation of various schemes and programmes in the State is likely to be affected with the delay in the finalisation of the State Plan for the period of 2014-15.
The finalisation of the State plan is delayed in the absence of the constitution of the Planning Commission. The BJP-led Government at the Centre is yet to reconstitute the Planning Commission.
Meghalaya, which is one of the states under the “special category” status, is dependent on Central funding for its projects.
Though, it is perceived that further delay would negate a lot of programmes planned by the state government, top government officials are of the opinion that the impact would not be so much.
During the re-assembled budget session in June, Chief Minister Mukul Sangma had announced that the government had proposed a plan size of Rs. 4,545 crore, which would include Rs. 130 crore of assistance under the Non Lapsable Central Pool of Resources (NLCPR) and Rs. 125 crore from the North Eastern Council (NEC).
With the proposed plan budget of Rs. 4,545 crore, the increase in plan size over the preceding year is Rs. 394 crore, which is an increase of 9.5 per cent, Chief Minister had stated.
When contacted on Wednesday, a senior government official does not agree that the implementation of the centrally sponsored schemes is going to be affected due to delay in the finalisation of the plan size.
“The implementation of the various programmes would not be negated,” he said adding that some of the States which have fixed plan size might face problem in initiating new programmes.
The senior official while expressing confidence that the Government of India will provide the funds, said that at the moment there are no glitches. Mentionably, the Union minister of state (independent charge) for Planning, Statistics and Programme Implementation Rao Inderjit Singh, while submitting a written reply in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, said there was “no proposal under consideration of the government for abolishing the Planning Commission”.
Although there have been talks that the commission would be restructured, the commission is presently headless although the Prime Minister is its ex-officio chairman. The commission’s tenure is co-terminus with that of the Prime Minister.
The Economic Survey of India 2013-14, which was tabled recently in Parliament, has differed with the way resources are presently being allocated. “At present in India, a government department gets resources through two mechanisms: the budget process run by the Ministry of Finance and the budget process run by the Planning Commission. This leads to sub-optimal resource allocation as well as diffused accountability,” the survey stated.
Hence, the survey was of the opinion that a more effective budget process would be conducted in the language of outcomes, targets, and the cost of achieving alternative targets.
“The focus of a sound budget process would be upon outcomes as seen by citizens and measured by independent bodies, and not the internal activities of departments of government. Budgetary allocations should be associated with concrete targets for outcomes and departments held accountable for achieving these targets,” said the Economic Survey of India.