*Nehru project facing
trouble*<http://www.asianage.com/main.asp?layout=2&cat1=5&cat2=154&newsid=208081>
* - By Our Correspondent*
*New Delhi, Feb. 10: *The much hyped Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission
(JNNURM), launched by the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh recently and claimed
by the Union urban development ministry to change the face of 63 cities in
the country, has already started facing problems. West Bengal and
Maharashtra have shown initial resistance to some of the mandatory reforms
set under the mission. Sources in the ministry maintain that the hurdles
have been created due to "political" reasons.
As per the mandatory reforms, repealing the urban land ceiling and amending
rent control laws by the respective states are also listed as must-do�s.
Though West Bengal has agreed to comply both reforms to claim for funds
under the mission and has submitted the reform agenda, with city development
plan to be sumitted soon, the entire process is likely to get delayed as
consensus on both reforms by political parties is still awaited in the
state.
Meanwhile, it is only Gujarat that has submitted its city development report
to the ministry, which has been sent to the National Institute of Urban
Affairs
Budget support for Plan up 19%
Our Economy Bureau / New Delhi February 11, 2006
The gross budgetary support (GBS) for 2006-07 has been raised 19 per cent
to nearly Rs 171,000 crore from Rs 143,497 crore in the current fiscal. But
this is lower than the Rs 183,000 crore sought by the planning commission
for the year. "Going by the final GBS figure, the requirements of some
social welfare ministries will not be substantially met as had been proposed
by the planning commission," an official told Business Standard. The
planning commission had earlier proposed a budgetary support of Rs 6,500
crore, Rs 16,500 crore, Rs 9,400 crore and Rs 8,000 crore for the National
Urban Renewal Mission, Employment Guarantee Act, National Rural Health
Mission and National Rural Roads Programme, respectively. Sources said the
finance ministry might not meet the expectations of the plan body. The UPA
chief Sonia Gandhi had earlier written a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh expressing her concern over inadequate allocation for social welfare
ministries. The allocated GBS is also unlikely to meet the Rs 50,000-crore
allocation goal set by the Left for social sector schemes. The prime
minister's office had earlier directed the finance ministry to meet the GBS
requirement of Rs 1,79,000 crore and to find out ways for resource
allocation. The additional allocation of Rs 6,000 crore that the Plan panel
was demanding to fund flagship social sector programmes of the government
was a bone of contention between the planning commission and the finance
ministry.
trouble*<http://www.asianage.com/main.asp?layout=2&cat1=5&cat2=154&newsid=208081>
* - By Our Correspondent*
*New Delhi, Feb. 10: *The much hyped Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission
(JNNURM), launched by the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh recently and claimed
by the Union urban development ministry to change the face of 63 cities in
the country, has already started facing problems. West Bengal and
Maharashtra have shown initial resistance to some of the mandatory reforms
set under the mission. Sources in the ministry maintain that the hurdles
have been created due to "political" reasons.
As per the mandatory reforms, repealing the urban land ceiling and amending
rent control laws by the respective states are also listed as must-do�s.
Though West Bengal has agreed to comply both reforms to claim for funds
under the mission and has submitted the reform agenda, with city development
plan to be sumitted soon, the entire process is likely to get delayed as
consensus on both reforms by political parties is still awaited in the
state.
Meanwhile, it is only Gujarat that has submitted its city development report
to the ministry, which has been sent to the National Institute of Urban
Affairs
Budget support for Plan up 19%
Our Economy Bureau / New Delhi February 11, 2006
The gross budgetary support (GBS) for 2006-07 has been raised 19 per cent
to nearly Rs 171,000 crore from Rs 143,497 crore in the current fiscal. But
this is lower than the Rs 183,000 crore sought by the planning commission
for the year. "Going by the final GBS figure, the requirements of some
social welfare ministries will not be substantially met as had been proposed
by the planning commission," an official told Business Standard. The
planning commission had earlier proposed a budgetary support of Rs 6,500
crore, Rs 16,500 crore, Rs 9,400 crore and Rs 8,000 crore for the National
Urban Renewal Mission, Employment Guarantee Act, National Rural Health
Mission and National Rural Roads Programme, respectively. Sources said the
finance ministry might not meet the expectations of the plan body. The UPA
chief Sonia Gandhi had earlier written a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh expressing her concern over inadequate allocation for social welfare
ministries. The allocated GBS is also unlikely to meet the Rs 50,000-crore
allocation goal set by the Left for social sector schemes. The prime
minister's office had earlier directed the finance ministry to meet the GBS
requirement of Rs 1,79,000 crore and to find out ways for resource
allocation. The additional allocation of Rs 6,000 crore that the Plan panel
was demanding to fund flagship social sector programmes of the government
was a bone of contention between the planning commission and the finance
ministry.