Ranchi: The Chief Secretary R S Sharma today suggested that since Jharkhand is an underdeveloped state so the Finance Commission should support the state in the areas of road length, power availability, physical infrastructure, irrigation, human resources, health, education and others.
Sharma also suggested constitution of an effective debt management unit for managing the resources efficiently.
He was speaking at a meeting held at the Project Building regarding 14th Finance Commission in which along officials of the Finance Department Principal Secretaries of other department were present.
The Chief Secretary focused on achieving the objectives for the development of the state in all the sectors. He also talked of devising gross budgetary support from the finance commission for the centrally sponsored schemes. Jharkhand constitutes of 29% forestland so there should be a forest management institute, he suggested.
The Finance Secretary A.P. Singh presenting the development indicators of the state said that Jharkhand continues to be a revenue surplus state. He gave a detailed report on the composition of expenditure in plan, non-plan, health & education sectors.
The Chief Secretary talking about the issues related to the adverse effects of mining activity suggested that the Centre should form a regulatory body to monitor the functioning of mines, which looks into the lease and the restoration of the mining areas. This independent regulatory body should ensure the performance of mines, he added.