The Hindu Business Line : Central Plan outlay up 26% at Rs 3.19 lakh cr

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New Delhi, Feb. 28 The Central Plan outlay for the next financial year proposed in the Union Budget today showed a step-up of 26 per cent at Rs 3,19,992.08 crore, as compared with Rs 2,54,041.48 crore in the budgeted amount for the current fiscal.

Of the Rs 3,19,992.08-crore Plan outlay, the budgetary support to the Plan amounts to Rs 1,54,939 crore, showing an increase of 18 per cent over the budgeted Rs 1,31,284 crore for the current fiscal. Internal and Extra Budgetary Resources (IBER) of public enterprises would contribute Rs 1,65,053 crore (Rs 1,22,757 crore).

Social services, excluding provision for rural housing, hold a lion's share of Rs 80,315 crore for next fiscal (Rs 63,313 crore), followed by energy segment getting Rs 79,158 crore (Rs 69,593 crore) and transport Rs 71,589 crore (Rs 48,614 crore).

Within rural development programmes, Sampoorna Gramin Rozgar Yojana providing additional wage employment in rural areas and food security, the allocation for next fiscal amounts to Rs 2,800 crore, while the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme being extended from extant 220 districts to 330 districts covering almost half of the country would get Rs 12,000 crore.

While communications get outlay of Rs 25,812 crore (Rs 19,884 crore), rural development including provision for rural housing but excluding rural roads gets an outlay of Rs 20,342 crore (Rs 18,269 crore). Industry and minerals obtain an outlay of Rs 20,434 crore (Rs 14,533 crore), while agriculture and allied activities get an outlay of Rs 8,558 crore (Rs 7,385 crore).

In his Budget presentation, the Finance Minister, Mr P. Chidambaram, said the Plan expenditure for 2007-08 is estimated at Rs 2,05,100 crore.

As a proportion to the total expenditure (net of the SBI share acquisition) Plan expenditure would be 32 per cent. On the other hand, non-Plan expenditure consisting of interest payments, subsidies and defence in the next fiscal (net of the SBI share acquisition) is estimated at Rs 4,35,421 crore, which is only 6.5 per cent higher than 2006-07. Allocation to the Defence sector for the next fiscal is Rs 96,000 crore, inclusive of Rs 41,922 crore for capital expenditure. Mr Chidambaram said any additional requirement for the security of the nation would be provided.