The ambitious North East Water Resources Authority (NEWRA) may be gasping for breath but not dead.

Worried that contractors and traders may take undue advantage, the Planning Commission has shot down a proposal by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, headed by Renuka Chowdhury, to dish out

A bag full of surprises: Madhya Pradesh Finance Minister Raghavji arrives at the Vidhan Sabha in Bhopal to present the State Budget on Wednesday. Finance Minister Raghavji on Wednesday presented in the State Assembly the Madhya Pradesh Budget for 2008-09 with a budgetary deficit of Rs.91.43 crore. The Minister announced a reduction in entry tax on raw material inputs for textile industry and removal of entry tax on sponge iron and iron scrap for induction furnace. He also announced a reduction in VAT on diesel from 26 per cent to 25 per cent. Mr. Raghavji went on to announce pension and medical facilities to those detained under the dreaded MISA (Maintenance of Internal Security Act) during the infamous Emergency. Those who served six months or more behind bars would get Rs.6,000 per month as "Loknayak Jayaprakash Samman Nidhi' (monthly pension) while there would be a pension of Rs.3,000 for those jailed for more than three months but less than six months. One of the major budgetary announcements was that wheat would be available to each BPL family at the rate of Rs.3 per kg and rice at Rs.4.50 per kg . The budget for 2008-09 has a revenue surplus of Rs.2839.78 crore and the fiscal deficit for year is estimated at Rs.4741.00 crore, which is 3 per cent of the GSDP. The Finance Minister told media persons later that one of the important goals was to focus attention on gender budgeting to ensure equality for women, economic empowerment and women's participation in developmental schemes covered by 21 State departments. The Budget provides Rs.1371.47 crore for Energy, Rs.1656 crore for construction of roads and Rs.484 crore for road maintenance. The Finance Minister incorporated the Chief Minister's recent announcements at a Kisan Mahapanchayat here and told the House that there would be budgetary provision for a bonus of Rs.100 per quintal of wheat procured by government agencies for the public distribution system, reduction in rate of interest from 7 per cent to 5 per cent on short-term agriculture loans, relief in payment of old outstanding electricity bills, and increase in the rate of grant from 10 per cent to 30 per cent on drip/sprinkler irrigation. Mr. Raghavji said that additional irrigation capacity for 4.80 lakh hectare had been created in last four-year period and for the next fiscal, there would be a provision of Rs.1815.57 crore for irrigation purpose. He said colleges of excellence would be set up in each of the 38 backward districts. He also told the House that 254 girls' hostels would be constructed and 448 middle schools would be upgraded to the high school level. The Government would also be launching several scholarships for students belonging to the weaker sections, he added. The Finance Minister told the House that there was provision of Rs.566.88 crore (State share) for creation of employment in rural areas, Rs.100 crore for the District Poverty Initiative Programme Phase-II and Rs.93.23 crore for Rural Livelihood Project. He said the State employees would get dearness allowance and dearness relief at the rate of 4 per cent from this coming April 1 onward.

Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda with Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia in New Delhi on Monday. Haryana's Annual Plan for 2008-09 was pegged at Rs.6,650 crore at a meeting here on Monday between Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia and Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. The Plan outlay includes a one-time additional Central assistance component of Rs.100 crore for the priority projects of the State. Commenting on Haryana's performance, Dr. Ahluwalia noted that the State had been recording an excellent growth rate with its overall performance much above expectations. During the Tenth Plan period it achieved a growth of 9 per cent against the target of 7.9 per cent. Accordingly, the Commission has fixed an ambitious target of 11 per cent growth during the Eleventh Plan. The State's per capita income, he said, was also much above the national average. While appreciating the efforts being made in improving the State's human development index, the Commission drew the Government's attention to the need to bridge the gaps. On fiscal performance, Dr. Ahluwalia commended the Hooda Government for reducing the fiscal deficit within the FRBM targets and transforming it in to a revenue-surplus State. Briefing the Commission on the State Government's development strategy, the Chief Minister pointed out that apart from additional resource mobilisation measures, efforts were on to further improve the social sector performance. A number of initiatives, he said, had been taken to benefit those who had not fully realised the fruits of development. He said a luxury tax was being levied on premium hotel and banquet halls and stamp duty rates for registration of sale of properties had been rationalised. To improve the quality of education, compulsory computer training is being introduced in secondary schools and

The Planning Commission on Tuesday suggested a slew of measures to reform Punjab's power sector, including charging differential peak and non-peak tariffs for commercial users in the state. At a meeting to finalise the state's Annual Plan for 2008-09 on Tuesday, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal discussed at length the issues concerning the power sector with Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia.