By Rajeev Ranjan Roy, IANS
New Delhi : With elections for the Delhi legislative assembly round the corner, budget allocations for urban development, health, education, tourism and senior citizens will get a boost in 2008-09.
The state government has sought Rs.90 billion ($2.27 billion) from the Planning Commission as the annual plan outlay for fiscal 2008-09.
The total plan outlay for Delhi during the 11th five-year plan (2007-12) has been pegged at Rs.450 billion against Rs.226 billion in the 10th Plan.
The city government intends to spend Rs.13 billion on urban development. In view of the coming Commonwealth Games 2010, a lot of initiatives are required to upgrade urban infrastructure in the city.
“From roads to parking facilities, almost every aspect of urban development has to be taken up for upgradation in a focussed manner during the next couple of years. The civic bodies have accordingly been advised to act,” a senior Delhi government official told IANS.
Medical infrastructure is likely to get Rs.8.2 billion, while the housing sector stands to gain Rs.1.8 billion. Basic health facilities including the procurement of equipment in the government hospitals would get Rs.509 million.
As the city expects to receive a large number of foreign tourists during the Commonwealth Games, the government would spend around Rs.152 million on tourism, while Rs.1.3 billion would go to the senior citizen pension scheme.
Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, along with her senior officials, is scheduled to meet Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia this week to finalise the plan outlay for 2008-09.
The Delhi cabinet Tuesday approved the special economic zone (SEZ) policy, through which the government would go for knowledge-based, pollution-free and IT-enabled hubs in peripheral areas of the city like Narela, Dwarka, Ghoga, Bakrawala, Najafgarh and Baprolas.
The policy will take off only after a formal nod from the union ministry of industry and commerce. The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) will make the land for any SEZ available.
“It is the DDA that owns land in Delhi and not the city government. Accordingly, the DDA would take care of the land part of the SEZ,” the official, who did not want to be named, said.
At present, there are at least six players in the race for setting up SEZs in Delhi, but they have not yet received the union commerce ministry’s approval.
Sources in the Delhi government said prominent among them were Tata-owned VSNL Ltd, Delhi Metro Rail Corp, and realty major DLF Ltd.
As the city also happens to be an education hub, the government intends to earmark Rs.6.6 billion for general education, while Rs.90 million would be allotted to environmental issues.
Welfare programmes for scheduled castes and tribes and other backward classes may get Rs.497 million.