Bihar's plan size enhanced up to Rs 10,200 crore

Patna, Feb 14(UNI) Seriously considering the demands of the Bihar government, the Planning Commission gave its nod for enhancing the plan size of the state by 23 percent and made it Rs 10,200 crore for the financial year 2007-08.

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi, who is also holding the state's Finance portfolio, told UNI over telephone from New Delhi after attending the meeting with the Planning Commission that apart from enhancing the plan size, the Commission outlined the plan structure under which it asked the state government to meet the 29 per cent of the expenditure by its own resources.

He said the Commission fixed 36 percent as the upper limit for borrowing money as loan and 34 percent of the plan size would be given as central assistance.

Mr Modi further said that expenditure through internal resources had been enhanced compared to the financial year 2005-06 when it was just 8 percent. As per the suggestion of the Commission, the state during the financial year 2005-06 had procurred 68 percent of the plan size expenditure through loan which in the coming financial had been slashed to 36 percent.

He said that central assistance more or less remained same as the Commission allowed 34 percent of the plan size in form of aid through the Centre.

Mr Modi referred to the previous annual plan sizes and said that in the financial year 2006-07 it was Rs 8250 crores whereas in the year 2005-06 it was Rs 4,619 crores.

Mr Modi said the Commission has asked the government to concentrate on the development of roads, electricity and irrigation.

Apart from Mr Modi, the meeting with the Planning Commission attended by the state Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Bihar planning board vice-chairman N K Singh and senior authorities of the state.

UNI