Orissa envisages 9% growth rate in 11th Plan

The Orissa government envisages average annual growth rate of 9 per cent in the 11th five year plan (from 2007 to 2012) with a projected outlay of Rs 32,225 crore. The state recorded an annual average growth rate of 8.73 per cent in the first three years of the 11th plan,

To sustain this growth rate, the state has been allocating higher resources for planned development. Hence, the plan size for 2011-12 has been envisaged at Rs 15,000 crore which is an increase of about 36 per cent over the current year, said Orissa Governor M C Bhandare while addressing the inaugural day of the Budget session of the legislative assembly today.

The Governor's address was, however, marred by the din created by the Opposition Congress MLAs over the dal scam. They staged a walkout from the house during the address.

The Governor lauded the government’s efforts on debt management. "We have been able to reduce the net debt stock from 55.92 per cent of Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) in 2001-02 to 25 per cent of GSDP in 2009-10, thereby achieving the desired level recommended by the 13th Finance Commission. Improvement in fiscal performance has enabled the state government to get debt relief of Rs 381.90 crore per annum continuously since 2005-06”, he said.

Bhandare said, Fertilizer consumption in Orissa is expected to reach 83 kg per hectare in 2011-12. In spite of erratic climatic conditions, the fertilizer consumption in the state has gone up to 64.78 kg per hectare in the current financial year.

Stating that about 38418 hectares of land have been brought under different fruit crops in 2010-11, Bhandare said that it has been targeted to cover 40,000 hectares under different food crops in 2011-12 with a provision of subsidy of Rs 40.64 crore.

On Watershed Development, he said, “During the current year till the end of December 2010, 1.20 lakh hectares of land have been treated through Watershed Development Programmes at an expenditure of Rs 117.93 crore. As many as 24407 water bodies, 61658 small soil and water conservation structures and 51118 hectares of plantation have been created under Watershed Development programmes in the state.”

For accelerating the irrigation potential, my government has formulated a five-year Perspective Plan in 2009-10 with an objective to bring in an additional nine per cent of cultivable land (5.61 lakh hectares) under irrigation coverage by 2014, he stated.

“Construction activities in major and medium irrigation projects have been scaled up and it has been targeted to complete all ongoing spillover of 10th Plan projects by 2014. An ambitious scheme for construction of 6000 deep borewells to provide irrigation to small and marginal farmers in blocks having less than 35 per cent irrigation has been launched during 2010-11”, he added