SHILLONG, May 31? A plan size of Rs 555 crore has been fixed for Meghalaya for 2003-04 financial year as against revised plan outlay of Rs 480.43 crore for last year, reports PTI. The plan allocation was finalised after Meghalaya Chief Minister D D Lapang accompanied by his deputy Donkupar Roy and other senior officials met Planning Commission Deputy Chairman K C Pant in New Delhi on Wednesday last, according to a delayed official report reaching here.
The approved Plan size of Rs 555 crore included an amount of Rs 27.57 crore as additional Central assistance for implementing the Byrnihat-Sarusajai transmission line project and completion of other ongoing schemes of the eighth and ninth Plan periods. During the discussion, Pant congratulated the Chief Minister on some ?significant achievements? made by the state in strengthening techno-economic infrastructure, improvement of the delivery system for social services like health, education and water supply and discernible shift in the cropping pattern towards cash and plantation crops, it said.
The Deputy Chairman also appreciated the state?s effort in promoting organic farming and cultivation of medicinal plants. He, however, drew the attention of the government to the need for review and complete the ongoing Rongai valley irrigation project which could not be finished so far. Expressing hope that the Commission would continue to extend necessary help in the future, Lapang said during 2003-04 extra resource mobilisation of Rs 25 crore would be done by his government by way of revised user charge, royalty rates and curtailment of infractuous non-Plan expenditure, it added.