However, the expectation of around 10% step up in the next year’s plan size will be reasonable. As such, the state government has worked out its plan proposal based on a total outlay of Rs 7,300 crore for the next financial year.

We have requested the Planning Commission to continue the Prime Minister’s Reconstruction Plan till we complete the ongoing projects taken up under PMRP. Accordingly, we are projecting a requirement of Rs 700 crore under PMRP during the next financial year, over and above the annual plan outlay.

The main schemes, included in the PMRP, to be funded out of the proposed allocation are Power Transmission, Mughal Road, Counterpart Funds for the World Bank funded schemes under ERA, completion of TRTs for Kashmiri Migrants and Rehabilitation of Dal dwellers. A provision of about Rs 1,000 crore, out of the total outlay, is being kept as the State Share under various Centrally Sponsored Schemes to enable us to access around Rs 2,500 crore from the various Ministries of the Central Government, over and above the State Plan.

In the annual plan, we have proposed a provision of Rs 541 crore for the schemes to be covered under the Agriculture and Rural Development sector. Under the Social Services Sector, including Health, Education, Water Supply and Social Welfare, we have proposed an allocation of Rs 2,532 crore to take care of the ongoing schemes as well as the expansion programmes. Irrigation & Flood Control gets a share of Rs 447 crore. The Energy Sector accounts for Rs 455 crore. The Transport sector, including R&B, accounts for Rs 832 crore. General Economic Services, including Tourism and the Special Area Development Programme, are to receive Rs 1,231crore. Industries & Minerals get Rs 153 crore and General Services are proposed to be given a share of Rs 706 crore. Under Special Area Programmes, Rs 396 crore are proposed to be spent.

I proceed to share the salient features of the proposed development programmes for the next fiscal with the Hon’ble Members of this August House.

School Education
As I had stated last year, one of the main challenges, confronting us, was to reduce the gender gap in education and literacy. A major government initiative, announced by me during the last budget session, was the scheme ‘BETI ANMOL’, designed to popularize higher school education amongst girls. Under this scheme, a cash incentive of Rs 5,000 in the shape of a Fixed Deposit Receipt is payable to all girl students from BPL families, inhabiting 97 identified Educationally Backward Blocks of the State, who successfully seek admission in the 11th class.

I am happy to report that, in the current year, about 6000 eligible girl students have been identified to be covered under this scheme. The impact of the scheme is expected to be much more next year after the results of the next matriculation examinations are announced in the coming months.

We expect this number to increase to 10,000 during the next financial year, involving an expenditure of Rs 500 lakh.

The scheme of ‘SAAKSHAR BHARAT MISSION’ has been launched at the national level. All the twenty districts, which had literacy percentage below 50%, as per the census of 2001, are being covered under the total literacy campaign of ‘Saakshar Bharat Mission’.

A sum of Rs 530 crore is targeted to be incurred as the State share under the ‘SARVA SHIKSHA ABHIYAN (SSA)’ and ‘RASHTRIYA MADHYAMIC SHIKHA ABHIYAN (RMSA)’.

Higher and Technical Education
The construction of 11 new degree colleges under the state sector and 11 Model Degree Colleges under the 50:50 Centrally Sponsored Schemes is in progress. Besides, the construction of 10 degree colleges under PMRP is also underway. An expenditure of Rs 191 crore is proposed under the Plan, inclusive of Rs 145 crore on the capital component.

Eighteen new Polytechnics are being established and 27 ITIs are under upgradation. For the next fiscal, a sum of Rs 20 crore is proposed to be kept for the ongoing and new works to be taken up for skill impartation and up-gradation.

Irrigation
A sum of Rs 321 crore is proposed to be spent as the State plan component on various irrigation schemes. Additionally, Rs 400 crore are expected to come under AIBP and NABARD funding.

Public Health Engineering
The PHE Department has completed 1,208 Water Supply Schemes at a cost of  Rs 1,187 crore under the mega flagship scheme ‘National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP)’ and other schemes. The number of additional habitations, likely to be covered by potable drinking water supply in the current financial year, is 805, for which the current year’s expected expenditure under NRDWP is Rs 837 crore. For the next year, the targeted expenditure under this programme is Rs 562 crore to cover a further 1,414 habitations.

Roads and Bridges
During the current fiscal 799 kms of roads have been completed till January, 2012. The Department has also completed 45 bridges in the current financial year by January, 2012. Next year, the proposed outlay for the R&B Sector is Rs 682 crore.

Agriculture and Rural Development
For the next financial year, the total proposed plan investment in the Agriculture Sector is Rs 343 crore. For the Rural Development sector, the proposed allocation is Rs 198 crore. Additionally, funds shall also be available under the Centrally Sponsored Schemes like ‘RKVY’, ‘Technology Mission’ and other schemes from the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Rural Development of the Central Government. The focus of the department is on the improvement of the Seed Replacement Rate, timely and adequate supply of agriculture inputs, farm mechanization, post harvest facilities and marketing in all the key sub-sectors, including Horticulture, Sericulture, Vegetables and Commercial Floriculture.

Health
For the Super Specialty Hospital at Jammu, 819 posts have been created with a view to make it fully functional. Additionally, 483 posts have been created for the Emergency Block and Paediatric Hospital at Jammu. For the Institute of Traumatology and the Nursing College at Srinagar, 1040 posts have been created. Additional expenditure on the salaries for these posts would be around Rs 100 crore per annum. A total expenditure of Rs 366 crore is proposed to be incurred in the H&ME sector during the next financial year, exclusive of the funds available under the Centrally Sponsored Schemes like ‘NRHM’. Under the ‘National Rural Health Mission (NRHM)’, cumulative expenditure of Rs 680 crore is expected by the end of the current fiscal. An expenditure of Rs 150 crore is expected during the next fiscal.

The approved number of ASHAs has risen to 90,000. The State has made considerable improvements in health parameters like the Infant Mortality Rate, Maternal Mortality Rate, Total Fertility Rate and the percentage of institutional and safe deliveries.

The state government has finalized a drug policy to promote the common man’s access to safe, effective, quality and reasonably priced medicines and to ensure the adoption of good prescription practices among the doctors.

Other sectors
The next year’s allocation under the Housing and Urban Development sector has been proposed at Rs 311 crore, excluding the funds which would be available under the ‘JNNURM’. An additional provision of Rs 369 crore shall be available for ‘ERA’.

Rs 124 crore are proposed for the Tourism Sector. The Industrial Sector accounts for Rs 153 crore.

In the Forest and Environmental sector, a sum of Rs 42 crore has been proposed, exclusive of the allocations available under the Thirteenth Finance Commission Award. A total of Rs 212 crore of plan grants would be available under the Award for various development activities.

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