Planning Board pegs Pondy’s fiscal requirement at Rs 8,425 cr

Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi, also chairperson of the State Planning Board, told reporters that, “It was a useful deliberation which was comprehensive, frank, fair and creative.”

The board met to finalise the draft plan of the Union Territory, projecting the financial requirements of every department. Bedi thanked the board members, including Chief Minister, ministers, legislators and Members of Parliament for their “good and valuable” suggestions.

Expressing hope that the budget would benefit the people of the UT, Bedi said the draft plan finalised at the meeting would be presented to the Centre by the Chief Minister V Narayanasamy who was also present when she briefed newsmen on the deliberations.

The Lt Governor said once the Centre gave its nod to the draft budget, it would be presented on the floor of the House. However, the date of the budget session is yet to be decided.

She said, “Diligence on the part of the officials and also speed was absolutely necessary in implementation of the decisions taken at the meeting.”

When the Chief Minister was asked by Bedi to spell out his views as the territorial Finance Minister, Narayanasamy said he would make his views known on the floor of the House.

At the July 6 meeting of the board, Narayanasamy and his ministers staged a walkout to protest Bedi’s “failure” to include leaders of legislature wings of DMK, AIADMK and BJP as board members.

Meanwhile, the Puducherry unit of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Saturday welcomed the Supreme Court judgement against Puducherry Lt Governor Kiran Bedi, who had challenged the Madras High Court judgement curbing her powers in the administration, and urged the Centre to recall the Lt Governor.

CPM secretary R Rajangam also alleged that Bedi had made the Raj Nivas a camp for Hindutva forces and functioned against secularism