The Hindu Business Line : Chidambaram holds discussion with Plan panel on CMP goals

The Finance Minister, Mr P. Chidambaram, and the Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission, Mr Montek Singh Ahluwalia, on their way to attend a meeting with members of the Planning Commission in the Capital on Tuesday. — Ramesh Sharma

New Delhi , July 27

REFLECTING the mosaic of coalition in the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) that gives primacy to the role of planning in economic development with the motto of reform with a human face, the Union Finance Minister, Mr P. Chidambaram, today held a meeting with the Planning Commission Deputy Chairman, Dr Montek Singh Ahluwalia, and his team of full-time Members as also advisers.

"We discussed the priorities, rearranging priorities and providing enough money for the National Common Minimum Programme (NCMP) objectives of allocating the additional Rs 10,000 crore" on schemes that directly benefit the people, he told reporters after an unusual one-and-a-half hour long meeting in Yojana Bhavan with the Plan panel major functionaries.

Mr Chidambaram also stated that as identified by his maiden Budget of the UPA, the welfare schemes such as expanded Sarva Sikhsha Abhayan, mid-day meal scheme and food for work programme were also discussed. He sought the Plan panel to do more of perspective planning and provide requisite inputs for the next Budget.

Sources in the Yojana Bhavan told Business Line here that as the additional allocation is over and above the Rs 1,35,000 crore provided for the current fiscal in the Interim Budget by way of gross budgetary support (GBS), even this sum would be `inadequate' in the wake of the expanded coverage of important priorities of the UPA that have a direct bearing on the poor.

Given the absorptive capacity of the system, efforts should be towards pruning schemes for which only notional allocations had been made in the past and make over the centrally sponsored schemes to the States and keeping with the Centre only schemes of national importance and wider reach for the poor, the sources said.

During the interaction, the Finance Minister listened to the various concerns voiced by the new Members on their areas of work for which Mr Chidambaram responded, the sources said.

Dr Ahluwalia pointed out that there is a case for restructuring and shifting of schemes to make the existing schemes more effective and beneficial to the people.

He said that the task of mid-term appraisal of the Tenth Plan has already been on and the work of appointing outside consultants in this regard would be over by next week.