NEW DELHI, February 26: With the Planning Commission agreeing in principle to change the status of Delhi from a Union Territory to a full-fledged state, the annual plan size of Delhi for 1999-2000 has been increased by 11 per cent to Rs 3,000 crore.Announcing this at a press conference today, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said: ``We have demanded Rs 800 crore more. The allocation will be reimbursed by the Centre in various accounts. Delhi will get back its share of Rs 50 crore from the fund generated by the Voluntary Disclosure of Income Scheme and also Rs 83 crore which has deducted from its share in Central taxes from 1997-98 and 1998-99, respectively, towards Delhi Police expenditure''.Another Rs 37.3 crore is likely to be reimbursed against the expenditure incurred by Delhi government on World Bank assisted projects up to 1998-99, she said.As a result of the Central government's decision to abolish terminal tax in Delhi with effect from January 1993, after assuring a lump sum grant with an additional 10 per cent increase every year, the Delhi government provided Rs 322.62 crore to the local bodies up to 1998-99. But the Centre is to reimburse the amount.The Chief Minister said: ``We have requested the Planning Commissions to allocate an additional Rs 300 crore as part of a resource mobilisation drive for implementation of various High Court and Supreme Court orders to improve the environment, to control pollution and implement other welfare measures''.The Delhi government has also asked for additional resources to improve the quality of roads in Delhi, to build up its education infrastructure and towards welfare schemes for women. The Centre would also make available an amount of Rs 120 crore from the general provident fund account for 1999-2000 for initiating developmental works, Dikshit said.``Deputy chairman K.C. Pant has given assurances that Delhi's water, power supply and sewage disposal plan will be taken up with the Central ministries concerned. Delhi has already overstretched itself for resources,'' she said. The Centre has to accept the National Capital Region concept sooner than later, if the infrastructure has to keep pace with the growing population of Delhi, she said.To enhance Delhi's water supply, a canal from the Renuka dam in Himachal Pradesh will be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 200 crore. Making the exercise a political one, Dikshit criticised the former government for non-utilisation of 25 per cent of the plan money.
