AGARTALA, August 29 (TIWN): A high level meeting of the state government chaired by new Chief Secretary G Kameshwara Rao recently asked all line departments to submit concept notes against existing liabilities for all projects funded by grants or sanctions from Special Plan Assistance (SPA).

A source in the state administration said that the state government is increasingly growing anxious on proper funds from the forthcoming 14^th Finance Commission. The government is finding it hard to forget the scars of the 13^th Finance Commission, the source said adding that the state government had had a tough experience from the Pay Review Committee recommendations of raising the pay band of government employees in January, 2009. The 13th Finance Commission denied including any of the ensuing liabilities in its recommendations.

Finance Minister Bhanulal Saha said in a recent media briefing that the state government had apprised YV Reddy, chairperson of the 14^th Finance Commission to set things right to Tripura.

“We are not so sure about how the 14^th Finance Commission would look at us. We have interacted with YV Reddy, chief of the 14^th Finance Commission and apprised him about the current fiscal situation of the state government”, Finance Minister Saha said here recently.

Chief Minister Manik Sarkar urged all officials to ensure speedy completion of all projects implemented with funding from Special Central Assistance (SCA) and Special Plan Assistance (SPA) earlier in June.

A source in the Finance Department said later this evening that the meeting discussed special plan assistance (SPA) funds to priority projects and sectoral allocation to ongoing projects. Enhancement of Special Plan Assistance (SPA) is needed in the current financial situation of the state to negate the impact of huge negative BCR and increase the availability of resources for planned development, the source added.

As the BCR in the scheme of financing for 2014-2015 is estimated to be Rs. 1709.96 crores, the state is now expecting special plan assistance and special central assistance amounting to Rs. 1,500 crores at the minimum during 2-14-2015 to take care of resource gap in the non-plan sector.

The special plan assistance (SPA) and special central assistance (SCA) aided projects include National Social Assistance Programme including Annapurna, Backward Regions Grant Fund, National E-governance action plan, Border Areas Development Programme, Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme, assistance to shifting cultivation and tribal sub-plan among other sectors.