CHANDIGARH: Punjab Government on Tuesday  chalked out a plan for complete utilization of Centrally Sponsored Schemes included in the Central Budget for the year 2007-08 resulting in additional flow of Rs.1710 crore into development activities, while the state had utilized only Rs.723 crore through these schemes during 2006-07.

An official  spokesman said that government has geared up to utilize the full expenditure of Rs.2433 crore earmarked for this year as compared to Rs.1359 crore sanctioned for these schemes during 2006-07. 

Presiding over a meeting to review the Centrally Sponsored Schemes here at Chief Minister Office, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal  expressed concern over the under utilization of these schemes, because actual expenditure to the tune of Rs.723 crore on Centrally Sponsored Schemes (Rs.563 crore GoI share and Rs.160 crore State share) was incurred which accounts for merely 53% of the total outlays.   Out of the total Rs.1359 crore provided for Centrally Sponsored Schemes in the budget for the year 2006-07 the GoI's share was Rs.1114 crore and the state share was Rs.200 crore.  

The Chief Minister directed the state Chief Secretary to regularly monitor these schemes of Rs.2433 crore (Rs.2034 crore GoI share and Rs.399 crore state share) included in the annual plan 2007-08 to ensure its full utilization.  He also asked the Chief Secretary to hold a separate meetings of Health and Education Secretaries for the cent percent utilization of these schemes as both these departments required focused attention being critical areas.   He also issued strict instructions to ensure that not only the total outlay under these schemes be issued but sanction for new schemes which the state was not utilizing at the moment also secured from the GoI.   

Badal underscored the need to derive maximum benefits from Centrally Sponsored Schemes as the state government could not utilize these schemes optimally.   He reiterated that the matching grant as state's share would be released in time so that these schemes could not be delayed. 

 It was informed in the meeting that under Centrally Sponsored Schemes Rs.525.38 crore had been provided for Rural Development, Rs.500 crore for Roads & Bridges, Rs.110.35 crore for Irrigation, Rs.352.83 crore for Education, Rs.234.35 crore for Rural & Urban Water Supply and Rs.248.47 crore for Housing.  

 Prominent amongst others who attended the meeting included Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal, Chief Parliamentary Secretary Finance Raj Khurana, Chief Secretary Ramesh Inder Singh, Financial Commissioner Development GS Sandhu, Principal Secretary Finance DS Kalha, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister DS Guru, Principal Secretary Water Supply & Sanitation JR Kundal, Principal Secretary Technical Education P.Ram, Secretary Power Suresh Kumar, Secretary Education KBS Sidhu and Secretary Planning Satish Chandra.