Rs. 6,100-crore draft outlayproposed for Puducherry.

The State Planning Board has proposed a draft outlay of Rs. 6,100 crore for 2014-15 for the Union Territory at a meeting chaired by Lieutenant Governor Lt. General (Retd) A.K. Singh recently.

The draft proposal comprises an outlay of Rs. 2,400 crore under Plan expenditure and Rs. 3,700 crore as Non Plan expenditure.

Though the projected outlay for 2014-15 is an increase over the previous Budget's outlay of Rs. 5,890 crore split up as Rs. 3,750 crore in non-Plan segment and Rs. 2,000 crore under Plan segment and about Rs. 140 crore for Centrally sponsored schemes, the Plan outlay (development-related) to Non Plan (establishment costs) ratio follows a more or less similar pattern of the previous year.

The Union Territory has already had vote on accounts passed for an outlay of Rs. 2,550 crore towards meeting the expected expenditure for the first half of the fiscal.

The draft proposal for 2014-15 was hammered out after consolidating the demands from various departments.

Chief Minister N. Rangasamy, who is the vice-chairman of the State Planning Board, the Council of Ministers, V. Vaithilingam Leader of Opposition, legislators, Chief Secretary Chetan B Sanghi, Government secretaries, and heads of departments participated in the discussion.

The draft document will be forwarded to the Planning Commission for approval. The Budget to present the sanctioned annual allocation for 2014-15 is scheduled for next month.


THE HINDU