Himachal FY13 annual plan fixed at Rs 3,700 crore

Social service gets priority with Rs 1,189 cr allocation; transport, communication follow.

The Planning Commission has approved Himachal Pradesh’s annual plan for the next fiscal year at Rs 3,700 crore, which is more than 12 per cent higher than the current plan that is set to end in a week’s time.

This official nod came today after chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal met Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia in Delhi. Also finalised are the Rs 2,467-crore general plan and the scheduled caste tribal and backward area sub-plans.

Dhumal said social service has been again given the highest priority, by allocating Rs 1,189 crore. This is followed by transport and communication, energy and agriculture.

The chief minister said the allocation for agriculture was almost 13 per cent. This, he noted, was double the national average of 6 per cent. The government has asked the Centre to exempt the state from formula-based allocation; instead provide Rs 130 crore under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana.

Himachal Pradesh achieved an annual growth rate of 8.1 per cent during the about-to-end 11th Five Year Plan (2007-12). This is higher than the national growth rate of 7.9 per cent. The chief minister noted that the estimated growth rate for the current year was 7.6 per cent, against the national growth of 6.9 per cent.

Dhumal said the Centre had categorised as “very good” the state’s performance for the last two years in all the items of 20-point programme. Also, Himachal’s indicators in the education and health sectors are amongst the best in the country.

He said that state has completed 33 lakh enrolments under the Aadhaar scheme, and plans to complete the enrolment by July this year.

To provide responsive and accountable administration besides time-bound services to the people, the government has notified 12 departments under the state public service guarantee Bill.

So far, 7913 Mw of the total power potential of 23000 Mw has been harnessed by both the private and the public sector. The state, Dhumal said, was receiving around 1.5 crore domestic and foreign tourist every year, even as tourism was emerging as the state’s principal industry.