Conflicting Projections For 10th Plan & #8217;S Gross Budgetary Support Size

The size of the gross budgetary support for the 10th Plan has already become controversial even before the approach paper to the Plan is approved by the Prime Minister at the full meeting of the commission later this month.

While both the finance ministry and the commission officially say it is too early to comment on the financial commitment for the Plan, the differences that plagued the Ninth Plan (1997-2002) are invading the 10th Plan (2002-07) also.

Deputy chairman of Planning Commission KC Pant held a meeting today to finalise the approach paper before the crucial meeting of the full commission, but there too the commission stuck to the point that the projections made by the commission must to be met for the economy to achieve an 8 per cent rate of growth over the plan.

According to the approach paper prepared by the Planning Commission, the total size of the gross budgetary support should be Rs 518,000 crore at 1996-97 prices.

But finance ministry sources say the total gross budgetary support for the plan will rise by only about 10 per cent per year with the base of this year