Narendra Modi gets more than he asks for

Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia on Tuesday raised concerns over the social sector spending by the Gujarat government, even as he approved an annual plan of Rs59,000 crore for the state, which is 15.68% more compared to last financial year’s Rs 51,000 crore.

The amount is Rs 500 crore more than the Rs 58,500 crore proposed by the state government.  

Speaking after a two-hour long meeting with Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, Ahluwalia said, “Gujarat is one of the better performing states. We had a lot of discussions on the on the social sector. The state government has also raised concerns on flexibility in the centrally sponsored schemes.”

The Planning Commission said Gujarat’s performance in lifting people below the poverty line is not as remarkable as other states. Gujarat saw a paltry 8.6% reduction in poverty when compared to other states like Odisha, which had a 20% reduction in poverty in same period. And the rate at which poverty is reduced among STs and Muslims is among the lowest in Gujarat.

The Commission drew attention to the fact that Gujarat’s performance in the social sector lagged behind what could be expected from a high growth state. Of particular concern in this context was the level of the child sex ratio, infant mortality rate, MMR and malnutrition.

Modi later said that growth with equity is top on the Gujarat government radar.

“Whether it be the poor or tribals, people with all kind of backgrounds will get equal benefit of growth. 42% of the Plan outlay will focus on the social sector.

For this, Rs 24,586 crore has been allocated. Improving human index is our top priority,” said Modi.

In 2013-14, the Gujarat government will spend Rs9,000 crore on the Sardar Sarovar  project.

In 2013-14, Rs3,850 has been planned for the education sector. This amount is 42.59% higher than the previous financial year. On the health front, the government has set aside Rs3,800 crore, covering 18,600 villages and reaching out to at least 1.5 crore children.
 — With Agency inputs