NEW DELHI: Haryana's Annual Plan for 2006-07 was pegged at Rs. 3,300 crores at a meeting here on Monday between Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia and State Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

The outlay fixed for the new fiscal includes a one-time additional Central assistance of Rs. 25 crores for specific projects in keeping with the State's priorities.

During the discussions, Dr. Ahluwalia lauded the State for its good performance and the fact that it has developed the capability to achieve a growth rate of over eight per cent during the Eleventh Plan period. Hailing the investor-friendly environment in Haryana, he noted that there was a visible improvement in the State's fiscal indicators along with a high per capita income.

Lauding the high literacy rate, the Commission suggested that the State aim for being the first major State with a 100 per cent literacy rate during the 11th Plan period.

The Plan panel also appreciated the State's innovative approach to increase its green cover as well as the encouragement being given to public-private partnership (PPP) in all sectors of economic activity. However, the State was told to pay more focused attention to the aspect of reducing transmission and distribution (T&D) along with improving collection efficiency in the power sector.

Briefing the Commission on the State's performance, Mr. Hooda pointed out that fiscal discipline with emphasis on infrastructure development was being given top priority. The State, he said, was targeting to achieve the goals set under the FRBM Act so as to eliminate the revenue deficit by 2008-09 and reduce the fiscal deficit to 3 per cent of its GDP (gross domestic product) during the same period.

All high-cost debts were being swapped to reduce the interest liability and efforts were under way to improve resource mobilisation for which a committee under his chairmanship had been set up, he said.

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