The State Government has prepared its draft annual plan for the financial year 2013-14 which would be finalised at the meeting between the CM Naveen Patnaik and Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahlluwalia at New Delhi on June 4.
According to official sources, keeping its continuing higher outlay, the proposed State annual plan size has been pegged at Rs21,467 crore, a growth of 24.44 per cent higher than the amount fixed by the plan panel during 2012-13 fiscal. last year, Odisha's revised annual plan outlay was fixed at Rs17, 250 crore.
Sources said that while last year, the plan outlay was mainly focused on infrastructural development to ensure inclusive higher economic growth, this year's thrust of the draft annual plan is on development of social welfare, agriculture, energy, irrigation and road.
Most stress was given on development of the disadvantaged groups, particularly the welfare of SCs and STs, it said.
According to Planning and Coordination department sources, while Odisha's annual plan allocation was Rs5,520 crore in 2007-08, there was a substantial growth in the plan size to the tune of Rs17,250 crore in 2012-13.
Meanwhile, the State's 12th Five year plan-2012-2017 envisages an average annual growth rate of 9 per cent with a projected outlay of Rs1,24,373 crore. Sustained efforts have been made by the State Government to allocate increasingly higher resources for planned development of the State, the sources said.