The Hindu Business Line : AP Plan at Rs 20,000 cr

Growth plans
The State has been asked to activate district-planning committees and direct them to prepare district development plans.
It has also been asked to have a more focused attention on education and health, besides participatory irrigation management and revival of Panchayati Raj institutions.

PLAN PARLEYS: The Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Dr. Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, calling on the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, Mr Montek Singh Ahluwalia, in New Delhi on Tuesday. — Shanker Chakravarty

New Delhi , April 4

The annual Plan of Andhra Pradesh for the current fiscal has been pegged at Rs 20,000 crore, inclusive of one-time Central assistance of Rs 134.33 crore for projects of special priority to the State, particularly for enhancing agricultural productivity and watershed management.

At a meeting here between the State Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, and the Planning Commission, the Plan panel Deputy Chairman, Mr Montek Singh Ahluwalia, voiced satisfaction over expenditure realisation by the State Government.

He lauded Andhra Pradesh on having focused attention for fostering additional irrigation capacity as the State has the distinction of setting apart 51 per cent of outlay for the irrigation sector.

Rain-fed authority

He said the emphasis should be on dry land farming and added that the Commission was working on the setting up of rain-fed authority and would be looking for Andhra Pradesh experience in this respect.

Mr Ahluwalia urged the State to activate district-planning committees and direct them to prepare district development plans, as this would be prerequisites for utilising benefit from the backward region grant fund being launched by the Centre shortly. The State was also asked to have a more focused attention on education and health, besides participatory irrigation management and revival of Panchayati Raj institutions.

He also said the Centre was concerned about evolving a strategy aimed at improving the pace of development in the naxalite-hit areas and the Plan panel would be looking up to the approach of Andhra Pradesh in this regard.

Robust growth

Briefing the Commission on the performance of the State, Dr Reddy said Andhra Pradesh had logged robust growth with agriculture getting focused attention and timely completion of irrigation projects is being ensured. Despite free power to agriculture, the State has succeeded in reducing power tariff to the industrial consumer consecutively for two years and recently even surcharge on domestic consumption had been reduced. He said the State had been reducing transmission and distribution losses by two per cent annually.

The Chief Minister said the State had set up agriculture technology mission to improve rural economy and various initiatives were taken to accelerate the pace of development in the troubled naxalite-affected areas.

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