Patna, July 06: Bihar will seek an annual plan outlay of Rs.3000 crores for 2003-2004 during discussions the Chief Minister Rabri Devi will have in Delhi with the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission K C Pant tomorrow. A high-level team headed by Chief Minister Rabri Devi which also included the minister for Labour Upendra Prasad Verma left for Delhi today.

Verma told a news agency before their departure that the government had accorded top most priority to rural development, minority welfare, while social services like education, health, urban development, labour irrigation and flood control came next in priority. Verma said against a total plan outlay of Rs 2,314 crore sanctioned by the Planning Commission for the last financial year a sum of Rs 2,206 crore was spent which amounted to 95 per cent of the total outlay.

He hoped the planning commission would definitely clear the state government's proposal to fix the current year's plan outlay at Rs 3000 crore considering the good performance of the government on fiscal management.

Bureau Report