Plan panel advisor reviews expenditure

PATNA: The principal advisor toPlanning Commission, A K Mishra, here on Friday reviewed the state’s planexpenditure between April and December last year in a meeting with developmentcommissioner and secretaries of various departments. He also reviewed theimplementation of the Million Shallow Tubewell Programme (MSTP) inBihar.The review of plan expenditure by Mishra assumes significanceas the state government was able to spend only Rs 1,320 crore till December lastagainst the original Plan outlay of Rs 3,320 crore. In fact, it had to slash theannual plan size to Rs 2,642 crore from Rs 3,320 crore due to resourceconstraints and anticipated increase in government expenditure during thecurrent financial year. The government issued a notification to this effect onJanuary 29.As far as the implementation of MSTP goes, the stategovernment has so far spent only Rs 50 crore. The Planning Commission hadsanctioned Rs 100 crore for the MSTP. Chief secretary K A H Subramanian saidthat the government had recently released another Rs 50 crore for theimplementation of the programme.Replying to a query, Subramaniansaid that the principal advisor to Planning Commission was quite satisfied withthe implementation of MSTP in Bihar. With regard to plan expenditure,Subramanian said that Mishra was satisfied with the plan expenditure aswell.But sources in the planning department said that Mishra hadadvised the departmental secretaries to accelerate the rate of plan expenditure.Mishra also had a separate meeting with Subramanian.Mishra, who wasaccompanied by director, special projects, Planning Commission, will visit ParsaBazar and the adjoining areas in Patna district on Saturday to make anon-the-spot review of the implementation of MSTP. He will alsoreview the same day the ongoing widening work of Chiraiyatand overbridge forwhich the Planning Commission had released Rs 11.80 crore.Apart fromit, Subramanian said Mishra will also review the implementation of the laying of132 KV line on Mahatma Gandhi Setu in Patna under the Rashtriya Sum Vikas Yojanaat an estimated cost of Rs 30 crore.