Rs 1,575 Cr Plan Outlay For Haryana
The Haryana annual plan for 1997-98 has been finalised at Rs 1575 crore, an increase of more than 9 per cent over that in the previous year.
The plan was finalised at a meeting between deputy chairman of the planning commission Madhu Dandavate and Haryana Chief Minister Bansi Lal in New Delhi on Tuesday.
The Chief Minister told Dandavate that the Centre should compensate Haryana for implementing prohibition as it has been suffering a Rs 500 crore loss annually in revenue receipts.
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The Chief Minister said the Centre should initiate steps in setting up national and regional tariff boards. He argued that this was necessary to rationalise the tariff structure in the energy sector.
The Chief Minister mentioned that because of subsidy in the power sector, Haryana was likely to incur a Rs 700 crore loss during the current financial year.
Bansi Lal suggested that Delhi should be given financial assistance to develop satellite townships. This will help in decongesting the national capital, he said.
He also urged the Centre to pay minimum Rs 100 crore for repair and maintenance of the still incomplete Sutlej Yamuna Link Canal.
It may be noted here that the work on the Sutlej Yamuna Link Canal project has been at a stand-still for more than seven years now as Punjab has categorically refused to construct the remaining portion of the canal, being described as the lifeline of Haryana. The matter is now pending before the Supreme Court.
The Chief Minister also suggested that as proposed by the Prime Minister, the Planning Commission should include the construction of the Mewat canal in the state plan for the next year.
The Chief Minister said the Centre should evolve a strategy to ensure uniformity in sales tax throughout the country. He said the Centre should consider imposition of consignment tax.
These measures, he said, would help augment resources for the states and reduce dependence on central assistance.
Deputy chairman of the planning commission Dandavate said the Centre intended to continue fund allocation for specified schemes under the basic minimum services and accelerated irrigation benefit projects. He said allocation under these schemes would be notified as soon as overall allocations were made available.
He stressed that the states should strengthen their public distribution system, fix targets for connecting rural roads and provide construction assistance for rural households.