PUDUCHERRY: For the first time in the history of Puducherry, the Draft Annual Plan (DAP) outlay for 2012-2013 was referred to the cabinet for finalisation after the State Planning Board (SPB) failed to reach a consensus over the ‘unrealistic’ projected DAP outlay of Rs 3961 crore. Lieutenant governor Iqbal Singh, who chaired the meeting on Monday, authorised the cabinet to take the decision. The projected DAP is 44 per cent above the previous years plan outlay of Rs 2750 crore.The lieutenant governor cautioned the government and advised it to prepare a DAP outlay, for 2012-2013, that was realistic and in consonance with the resources that the UT could mobilise. Usually, the DAP outlay was finalised at the SPB meeting and then put before the Planning Commission for approval, but this time it was not so.Pointing out the wide gap between the previous year’s outlay and the proposed outlay, he said DAP should be revised. While agreeing to the increase in outlay in respect of health, education, renewable energy, tourism, since they are the engines of development, he urged that the phenomenal increase in the outlay of certain other sectors should be revisited.He suggested the development of infrastructure by adopting the Private Public Partnership (PPP) mode. Similarly, he said that departments should seize upon Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) projects to tap Central resources. The DAP is considered unrealistic due to the fact that in the past five years, the plan utilisation has been only around 60 per cent. Even in the current year utilization has reached only Rs 1650 crore out of the plan outlay of Rs 2750 crore (as on February 15) and is expected to reach at best Rs 1800 crore by end of the year. The resource mobilisation of Rs 1922 crore projected in the DAP including a market borrowing of Rs 780 crore, is not achievable to support the DAP, said economist and former MP M Ramadass.
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