More money for urban development

CHANDIGARH, March 1: The budget estimates for the total expenditure Plan and non-Plan of the Union Territory of Chandigarh for the year...

CHANDIGARH, March 1: The budget estimates for the total expenditure Plan and non-Plan of the Union Territory of Chandigarh for the year 1999-2000 are only about 4 per cent more than the revised estimates for the current year. Officials, however, hope that UT would get more after further discussions with the Planning Commission.

While the budget expenditure for the Plan sector has been hiked by Rs 5.88 crore less than 5 per cent, for the non-Plan sector, the budget estimates of 1999-2000 are only Rs 15 crore more than the revised estimates of the current year.

Sources say housing and urban development would be the focus areas during the next financial year. Going by the broad budget estimates in the Plan sector, housing and urban affairs and employment generation would be the priorities in the coming year, with Rs 98.46 crore earmarked for the next financial year. This would be followed by the energy sector Rs 25.54 crore, transport Rs 4.38 crore and education Rs 4.08 crore.

UT is expected to get some more money for minimum basic services, as it received over Rs 7 crore for this sector during the current year, over and above the budget estimates, after which its revised budget estimates for the Plan sector stood at Rs 137.76 crore against Rs 130.58 crore earmarked during the budget estimates.

In the non-Plan sector, the focus would be on the energy sector with Rs 180.97 crore having been broadly earmarked for it, followed by education Rs 108.86 crore. Similarly, in the non-Plan sector, the expenditure for housing and urban affairs and employment has been broadly fixed at Rs 55.41 crore, for police Rs 52.89 crore, transport Rs 48.85 crore, health Rs 17.91 crore and labour Rs 2.82 crore. The expenditure for the secretariat has been tentatively fixed at Rs 2.42 crore, leaving the remaining Rs 18.39 crore for others.

Chandigarh would get a total of Rs 632.16 crore for the year 1999-2000 as its total expenditure, against Rs 611.32 crore fixed as revised estimates for 1998-99. The budget estimates for 1998-99 were Rs 545.46 crore. Of the total expenditure for 1999-2000, Rs 600.76 crore would constitute revenue expenditure and the remaining Rs 31.4 crore capital expenditure. The revenue expenditure for 1999-2000 is lower by 0.55 crore than the revised estimates for the previous year.