Hike Budget allocation: Ministers

The state Cabinet sub-committee on planning failed to reach a consensus on the annual plan size and allocation on Tuesday.

The state Cabinet sub-committee on planning failed to reach a consensus on the annual plan size and allocation on Tuesday.

HT Image

The annual plan of a state is to the total development budget for a year and has to be approved by the Planning Commission.

Barely a week away from the meeting with the Planning Commission on March 11, the state Cabinet sub-committee pulled up the Finance department over the plan size and allocation. The state is likely to present its annual budget on March 25.

Sources in the Planning department said it was decided that this year’s plan size would be modest.

However, most ministers, including Tatkare’s Nationalist Congress Party colleagues such as Public Works Minister Chhagan Bhujbal, Rural Development Minister Jayant Patil and Water Resources Minister Ajit Pawar, wanted higher allocations.

“We have told the planning department that the size has to be increased for some development. We discussed how to curtial non-development spending on salaries instead of development funds,’’ said a Cabinet minister present at the meeting.