Shimla, Apr 22: Himachal Pradesh government would formulate a `realistic' plan for 2003-04 by excluding non-plan expenditures which had wrongly found place in the plan during the last few years, Chief Minister V B Singh today said. It could result in downsizing the artificially-inflated plan but there would be no reduction in allocation of funds for development works, he told reporters here today.
It was high time to apply correctives to put the economy back on rails, he said adding the 12th finance commission would be approached to take care of the non-plan deficit of the state and the government would also take steps to widen the resource base.
Referring to the proposal to extend the broad gauge railway line from Banupali to Bilaspur, Rampur and Mandi, the Chief Minister said rites had conducted the techno-economic survey for the project and found it feasible.
He said earlier a plan was mooted to construct the railway line with contribution of funds from railways, state government, cement plants and hydro-power projects and raising funds from the market, but this did not materialise after the change in government.
He said the matter would be taken up again with the railway authorities and funds would be raised from the market and foreign funding agencies.
He discounted reports that the government had banned recruitments and said there was neither any decision to ban recruitment nor any move to extend VRS to government departments. He said VRS introduced by the previous government in some departments would not be withdrawn.
He said special stress would be laid on strengthening the agriculture sector. Bureau Report