The Himachal State Planning Board on Wednesday approved the annual plan size of Rs 7100 crore for the year 2019-20 in a meeting here under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur.

This is an increase of Rs 800 crore from the last year’s annual plan of Rs 6300 crore, thereby registering an increase of 12.70 percent.

The sectors which have been given added priority in the annual plan are social services sector, transport and communication, agriculture and allied activities, energy and irrigation and flood control etc. The Chief Minister said that an outlay of Rs 3048.15 crore has been proposed for social service sector which is 42.93 percent of the total outlay. The funds allocated for education and health sector would help in improving the human development indicators and making the growth process in the State more inclusive. He said transport and communication sectors are being given the second priority with proposed outlay of Rs 1241.98 crore, which is 14.49 per cent of the total outlay. He said that this has been done to link feasible villages with motorable roads and maintenance of the existing infrastructure.

Thakur said third priority has been accorded to agriculture and allied activities sector with outlay of Rs 877.25 crore have been proposed. This has been done keeping in view the fact that this sector provides direct employment to about 62 percent of the total working population in the State. He said that Rs 711.06 crore has been proposed for energy sector, Rs  457.48 crore for irrigation and flood control and Rs 335.15 crore for general economic services while Rs 133.89 crore has been proposed for other general services sector. He said that Rs 133.65 crore has been proposed for rural development, Rs  95.59 crore for industries and minerals, Rs 38.02 crore for science technology and environment and Rs  27.78 crore for special area programme.

The Chief Minister said that out of annual plan size of Rs 7100 crore an outlay of Rs 1788.49 crore has been provided for Scheduled Castes Sub Plan for the implementation of schemes largely benefiting scheduled caste population.

Similarly, 9 percent funds amounting to Rs 639 crore have been provided under the Tribal Area Sub Plan which is aimed at development of the tribal areas of the State. He said that Rs 80 crore has been allocated for backward area Sub Plan for development of the backward areas of the State.     

Thakur said that external aided projects worth Rs  1217.82 crore have been proposed to be implemented in the sector of agriculture, horticulture, forests, minor irrigation, power, roads, tourism, technical education, rural water supply and urban development with the assistance of World Bank, Asian Development Bank, KFW and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

He said the per capita income at the current prices has witnessed a increase of 8.3 percent and has registered an increase for Rs 1, 46,294 in 2016-17 to Rs 1, 58,462 in 2017-18. 

He said that Rs 735 crore have been proposed under Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) loan funding from NABARD. Under this  a sum of Rs 427  crore has  been proposed for roads and bridges, Rs 143 crore for rural water supply schemes, Rs 125 crore for minor irrigation schemes, Rs 40 crore for soil conservation  and flood control etc.

Vice Chairman, State Planning Board Ramesh Dhawala said that this planning meeting was vital for achieving the desired developmental goals for the year 2019-20.