Rs 1,800 cr Himachal annual plan okayed

Income for state from SEZs estimated at Rs 500 cr

The Himachal Pradesh planning board has adopted a resolution moved by Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, proposing a Rs 1,800- crore annual plan size for the next year(2006-07).

This is also the terminal year for the tenth five-year plan.The decision was taken by the planning board in Dharamsala, late Friday, soon after the end of the four-day winter-session, which took place for the first time outside Shimla, in the fifty-year-old history of the Himachal Legislative Assembly.

Singh said the proposed plan would include a 44 per cent outlay for social services, 16 per cent for transport and communications, and 13 per cent for agriculture and allied services.

"Special economic zones (SEZs) will be created in the Kangra, Una, Hamirpur and Chamba districts, to ensure economic development of the state at all levels," the chief minister added.

"Investment worth Rs 15,000 crore investment is expected in these special economic zones, while income to the state will be to the tune of Rs 500 crore," Singh said.

He said the state government was making all efforts to achieve the targeted growth rate of 8.9 per cent by the end of the current five-year plan. He added that a 7 per cent growth rate was being anticipated in the mid-term appraisal, keeping in mind the decadal growth rates, which were constantly declining.

He said per capita income in Himachal stood at Rs 27,000 for 2004-05.

This was considerably higher than the all-India average of Rs 23,308.

The contribution of the tertiary sector was 40 per cent, while the secondary sector had contributed 33 per cent, with the primary sector contributing the rest, Singh added.

The annual per capita power consumption in Himachal stood at 456 Kw hours.