No ‘special’ tag, CM demands flexibility

Be flexible to accommodate Jammu and Kashmir’s specific fiscal requirements but don’t term it a ‘‘special’’ package. This was CM Mufti Mohammed Sayeed’s message to Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission K.C. Pant after the panel granted J-K the Rs 2,500 crore it had asked for.

Addressing the Commission, Mufti said: ‘‘Special economic packages are ad hoc arrangements and offer no solution to the state’s conflict-devastated economy.’’ He added: ‘‘The fiscal system of the country is geared towards peacetime economic functioning so we will have to be a bit more flexible to accommodate J-K’s needs and not go by the rule book.’’ ‘‘We did not demand the moon but all requirements are fulfilled,’’ a happy Mufti said.

He said he would unveil surprises in the budget next month, incorporating promises he made to Pant on reforming the economy. ‘‘We did our work with tremendous sense of responsibility and managed to convince the government the money would be spent judiciously,’’ Mufti told reporters.