Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Bihar gets Rs 16k crore from the Planning Commission

Date : Feb-24-2009 12:41
The Planning Commission on Monday approved its annual plan outlay worth Rs 15,900 crore for the fiscal year 2009-10. For the year 2008-09 the plan size was Rs 13,500 crore. The new plan also includes Central assistance of Rs 4,798.96 crore out of which Rs 110 crore will be used to fund the special projects of the state. The new grant was approved between Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia and chief minister Nitish Kumar at Vikas Bhavan in New Delhi.

Montek Singh Ahluwalia however has complimented Bihar for the plan aimed at accelerating infrastructure development. He has also stressed the need for better plan realisation and provision of land for power sector infrastructure.

The planning commission panel has also advised the Bihar Chief Minister to engage financial institutions in skill development and avail itself of the benefits on offer under the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission for upgradation of civic amenities.

The Bihar Chief Minister however said that since Bihar is a development deficit state, it needs higher plan size. He also said that the state has plans for private investment at different stages in the sugarcane and thermal power sectors. "We have created an investment-friendly climate. Four sugar mills will be opened soon, and they include two by HPCL," he said, adding Bihar expects to spend 24% of the allocated amount on basic infrastructure, including roads and bridges.

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