As the terminal year of the 11th Plan period (2011-12) approaches,the forthcoming general Budget is likely to see the Planning Commission settling for a 15 per cent hike in Gross Budgetary Support (GBS),as against 20 per cent sought by it. Although,no major fresh schemes are likely to be announced,most of the funding is expected to be utilised for implementing Right To Education (RTE) and pushing forward flagship schemes like Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme. Seeking to purge the ministries of their business-as-usual approach,the plan panel has resolved to ensure accountability in utilisation of the plan expenditure. Accordingly,it has decided that fund allocation to Central ministries for the 2011-12 fiscal would depend on evaluation of their performance done by the Cabinet Secretariat. Departments performing poorly in meeting the a Result Framework Document (RFD) targets are unlikely to get higher budgetary allocation as compared to last fiscal. If the departments fail to meet their own targets in RFD how can we expect them to perform better, said a plan panel official. The Cabinet Secretariat in April last year came out with a Result Framework Document (RFD) for each department,earmarking targets for them to achieve. Since then the performance evaluation of each Union ministry has been done twice,which now is being billed as the key for ministerial fund allocation. Their fund allocation may not increase much as the Commission itself is likely to settle for a 15 per cent hike in its GBS of Rs 3,74,000 crore for the financial year 2010-11. Though the plan panel had sought a 20 per cent hike but the finance ministry is understood to be unwilling to give more than 15 per cent. The official said that most of the increased allocation would be utilised for implementing the RTE,which requires a massive Rs 70,000 crore over the next three years and for rural infrastructure schemes such as MGNREGP. Despite this performance evaluation approach,certain sectors which are high on the governments priority like agriculture,rural development and health are expected to get up to 20 per cent increase in allocation. Allocation for food subsidy is likely to be increased substantially from Rs 54,000 crore to over Rs 75,000 crore to work towards implementation of National Food Security Act,which is being examined by a panel constituted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The government is keen to implement the law by the end of 2011. As the 2011-12 fiscal is the last year of the 11th Plan,not many new schemes are expected to be announced,although schemes to promote sports Rashtriya Khel Abhiyan and job guarantee in urban areas could be announced in the Budget. In the sports promotion scheme,the government will provide funds at village and district level to develop infrastructure. However,some sops for the farm sector in the form of enhanced allocation for the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana could be announced in the upcoming Budget. In his pre-Budget consultations, finance minister Pranab Mukherjee,while hoping that agriculture and allied sectors would grow by 6 per cent this fiscal,pointed out that a lot remains to be done in the sector.
