The outlay for the Annual Plan of Punjab for 2013-14 was pegged at Rs16,125 crore against Rs14,000 during the last fiscal showing an increase of 15 per cent over the previous year.
The announcement was made after a meeting between Deputy Chairman Planning Commission of India, Montek Singh Ahluwalia and Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal at Yojana Bhawan in New Delhi.
A spokesperson of the Punjab Government said that the approved plan outlay included one time Additional Central Assistance of Rs120 crore, comprising Rs400 crore as 30 per cent GoI grant and Rs 280 crore as 70 per cent State share for the implementation of priority projects especially in the power, roads, health, education and rural water supply and sanitation.
Taking part in the deliberations, Badal said that the main thrust of the current annual plan was to strengthen the social sector, infra structure besides the welfare of SC/BC, Women and girl child remained the highly prioritised areas.
Badal observed that the Gadgil-Mukherjee formula was unfavourable for the State and urged the Planning Commission of India (PCI) to sanction a special package of Rs10,000 crore to bail out the state from fiscal stress.
Pleading for decentralization of planning process at the level of the States, the Chief Minister said that the states should be given free hand so that the specific issues related to them could be effectively addressed in accordance with the felt needs of the people.