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The Ministry of Agriculture, which is entrusted with the task to implement 50 odd Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS), will have lesser schemes in the 12th Five Year Plan period (2012-17). The 50 odd schemes with a total outlay of Rs 15,034 crore in 2011-12 would be reduced to 6-7 schemes in the 12th plan.
“The schemes would be re-structured in a way that no developmental scheme is dropped. The idea is to club small symmetrical schemes under few big schemes so that the States have more flexibility in terms of using funds. Since agriculture is highly “specific” which varies from district to district, it is unfair to dictate schemes to the States. In the 12th plan, one umbrella scheme Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) will absorb many small schemes relating to soil, seed and irrigation. Of course schemes like National Food Security Mission and National Horticulture Mission will also be retained along with RKVY,” a Planning Commission official said.
The move is a part of Government’s plan to remove redundancy and overlapping of CSS schemes in the 12th Plan to make the schemes more ‘flexible’ and ‘easily executable’. Lesser schemes will also translate into lesser administrative expenses to leave more money with the States.
In the regional meetings on approach paper discussion, a number of States had conveyed their displeasure on “inept-management” of these schemes and asked the Centre to restrict its role to providing funds and allowing them more flexibility in implementing these schemes. Chief Ministers of Bihar, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand spearheaded the campaign. However, some other States like Kerala and Andhra Pradesh also joined the chorus.
The panel has set up a committee chaired by Planning Commission member BK Chaturvedi to carry out the task. At present, the number of CSS is as high as 150. Chaturvedi has earmarked around 100 CSS which will either be axed or subsumed with other schemes. This means in the 12th Plan CSS will be reduced to around 50 schemes only. Maximum churn rate will happen in Agriculture, Labour and HRD Ministries.
Although the panel says that it is aimed to make schemes more flexible and executable, some skeptics see “fiscal prudence tactic” in the move and say that it comes at a time when the Government is battling a slowing economy and thereby dwindling revenues and a widening fiscal deficit.
“The schemes would be re-structured in a way that no developmental scheme is dropped. The idea is to club small symmetrical schemes under few big schemes so that the States have more flexibility in terms of using funds. Since agriculture is highly “specific” which varies from district to district, it is unfair to dictate schemes to the States. In the 12th plan, one umbrella scheme Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) will absorb many small schemes relating to soil, seed and irrigation. Of course schemes like National Food Security Mission and National Horticulture Mission will also be retained along with RKVY,” a Planning Commission official said.
The move is a part of Government’s plan to remove redundancy and overlapping of CSS schemes in the 12th Plan to make the schemes more ‘flexible’ and ‘easily executable’. Lesser schemes will also translate into lesser administrative expenses to leave more money with the States.
In the regional meetings on approach paper discussion, a number of States had conveyed their displeasure on “inept-management” of these schemes and asked the Centre to restrict its role to providing funds and allowing them more flexibility in implementing these schemes. Chief Ministers of Bihar, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand spearheaded the campaign. However, some other States like Kerala and Andhra Pradesh also joined the chorus.
The panel has set up a committee chaired by Planning Commission member BK Chaturvedi to carry out the task. At present, the number of CSS is as high as 150. Chaturvedi has earmarked around 100 CSS which will either be axed or subsumed with other schemes. This means in the 12th Plan CSS will be reduced to around 50 schemes only. Maximum churn rate will happen in Agriculture, Labour and HRD Ministries.
Although the panel says that it is aimed to make schemes more flexible and executable, some skeptics see “fiscal prudence tactic” in the move and say that it comes at a time when the Government is battling a slowing economy and thereby dwindling revenues and a widening fiscal deficit.
