Planning Commission today approved annual Plan outlay of Rs 57,800 crore for Uttar Pradesh for the fiscal 2012-13,Rs 800 crore more than sought by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav. The outlay includes additional Rs 800 crore for the Kumbh Mela at Allahabad next year. The Plan for the current year,approved at the meeting between Yadav and Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia,is 23 per cent higher than Rs 47,000 crore for 2011-12. "The first meeting of the first year. When we meet regularly,we will put forward out demands. The first meeting was not bad. It is a very good beginning," Yadav told reporters when asked about the demand for a Rs 90,000 crore special package for development in the state. The Centre has already cleared a package to the tune of 45,000 crore for Uttar Pradesh. Expressing satisfaction over the Plan outlay for the current fiscal,Yadav said,"The Commission has provided us Rs 20,000 crore under the centrally sponsored schemes which would help us improve economic growth rate of the state." "We have set target of 10 per cent growth rate in the next five years. We have to work harder to achieve this. I assure you that the state would utilise funds properly to achieve the desired growth rate." During the meeting Yadav said,"to achieve the targetted growth of 10 per cent in the terminal year an investment of Rs 16.70 lakh crore will be required,out of which Rs 4.86 lakh crore will be in the public sector and Rs 11.84 lakh crore in private sector." He informed the Commission that the new industrial and agriculture policy is being worked out and it would be announced shortly. The Chief Minister said while tax revenue has doubled in the last five years,the per capita income of the state was only half of the national average. Attention was drawn by the Chief Minister toward the decline in the state's share in national GDP to 8 per cent in 2011-12 from 8.8 in 2004-05. While overall poverty has reduced by 3.2 per cent between 2004-05 and 2009-10,the number of urban poor has increased,Yadav said in the meeting. The Planning Commission raised concern over under performance of the state in the health sector. The infant mortality rate has come down to 61 only against the Plan target of 35 per 1,000. It was pointed out that the literacy rate is also below the national average. In line with the priority of the 12th Plan,the state should also focus on education and health sectors. Ahluwalia said,"performance of the state is very important and will have major impact on the outcome in the 12th Plan." He said the state needs to encourage private investment in sectors like education and health while working out the development strategy. The Commission commended the state for taking up reforms. An effort to bring in substantial revision in electricity tariff was lauded by the Commission. The state was asked to resort to optimum utilisation of limited water resources while planning for five per cent growth in agriculture.
