Montek to meet ministries on Plan outlay in 2-3 weeks

The Planning Commission today said it will start interacting with Union ministries over the next two to three weeks over their demands for gross budgetary support for the next fiscal, amid reports that ministries have asked for a steep hike in resources in the Plan outlay.

"We have yet to get from handful of ministries their actual demands. But, the Planning Commission will now discuss with the ministries over the next two to three weeks, what their demands are, which ones of them are justified and to what extent they can be fitted within the resources available," Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia said here today on the sidelines of a Ficci event.

Ahluwalia's statement assumes importance since there are reports that Union ministries have asked for a massive 82 per cent increase in the gross budgetary support (GBS) during 2010-11 over the budget estimates for the current fiscal.

"So, sometime between now and may be early February, we will have a number (for GBS). In the meantime, I am afraid, you just have to speculate...We have not even started the process," he said.

Various ministries have reportedly asked for Rs 4.09 lakh crore of the GBS next fiscal against Rs 2.24 lakh crore in 2009-10.

Ahluwalia said the ministries always ask for much more than available. "This is a normal process...I mean the essence of the Planning function is that we will be discussing with the Finance Ministry on what is available, but then we will be trying to match the demands to the available resources," he said. PTI MG IND BENMontek to meet ministries on Plan outlay in 2-3 weeks

New Delhi, Jan 4 (PTI) The Planning Commission today said it will start interacting with Union ministries over the next two to three weeks over their demands for gross budgetary support for the next fiscal, amid reports that ministries have asked for a steep hike in resources in the Plan outlay.

"We have yet to get from handful of ministries their actual demands. But, the Planning Commission will now discuss with the ministries over the next two to three weeks, what their demands are, which ones of them are justified and to what extent they can be fitted within the resources available," Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia said here today on the sidelines of a Ficci event.

Ahluwalia's statement assumes importance since there are reports that Union ministries have asked for a massive 82 per cent increase in the gross budgetary support (GBS) during 2010-11 over the budget estimates for the current fiscal.

"So, sometime between now and may be early February, we will have a number (for GBS). In the meantime, I am afraid, you just have to speculate...We have not even started the process," he said.

Various ministries have reportedly asked for Rs 4.09 lakh crore of the GBS next fiscal against Rs 2.24 lakh crore in 2009-10.

Ahluwalia said the ministries always ask for much more than available. "This is a normal process...I mean the essence of the Planning function is that we will be discussing with the Finance Ministry on what is available, but then we will be trying to match the demands to the available resources," he said.