DELHI Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, while assuring the chairman of the Planning Commission to achieve the targets set by the Planning Commission for the 12th Five Year Plan, stated that Delhi’s share out of Central taxes has been fixed to Rs 325 crore since 2001-02.
“In view of the enormous and ambitious targets set for infrastructure, civic services and social sectors, an increase of this amount up to Rs 3,500 crore may be agreed upon as annual grant in the 12th Five Year Plan,” said Diksht.
While delivering her address at the National Development Council meeting, she further raised a demand for release of financial support to local bodies in Delhi form the Union government on lines of other states.
“Delhi should also be covered under the purview of 14th Central Finance Commission,” she said. She further stated that Delhi has registered an average annual growth of 10.2 per cent in the 11th Five Year Plan and we have planned for a growth rate of 10.5 per cent in the 12th Plan (2012-17). “Our debt/GDP ratio at 9 per cent is the lowest among all the states. Delhi’s contribution to the national income is 3.8 per cent, while our share in the total population of the country is 1.5 per cent,” she added.
Dikshit announced that her government has earmarked 65 per cent outlay for its social sector schemes.
Stressing on a gender-based budgeting, today Dikshit said that Rs 1,380 crore has been earmarked exclusively for women in the current year’s plan.
She said that the government has enhanced one-time financial assistance for widows’ daughter marriage from Rs 25,000 to 30,000.
“We are also implementing Ladli scheme to encourage girls for education and Kishori scheme which ensures free distribution of sanitary napkins to adolescent girls,” she said.
She stressed upon the need of inclusive development to ensure inclusion of the poor in development process. “There is a need to take care of the most prominent groups – women and girls – that suffer exclusion,” she added.
She said that the women empowerment will go a long way in dealing with social issues. “We have provided 50 per cent reservation for women in the three municipal corporations. We are also pitching for 33 per cent women reservation in the police force,” she said.
