This is an increase of over 23 per cent in the annual plan allocation for the state, which last month saw change of guards after 34 years of uninterrupted Left rule.
The state annual Plan was finalised here at a meeting between Commission's Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
"The Planning Commission heard the vision that she has for reviving the economy of West Bengal and giving it a thrust over next five years. She had identified many of the critical areas about which we are also concerned. We have approved a Plan size of Rs 22,214 crore," Ahluwalia told reporters after the meeting.
He said the state government has outlined priority sectors like development of infrastructure and livelihood, developing the Darjeeling hill areas and the Sundarbans, besides education, healthcare and skill development.
"Planning Commission stands ready to support the Chief Minister not only this year but more importantly in the 12th Plan period (2012-17)," he said.
On the occasion, Banerjee said the state government has fixed a target to create 10 lakh jobs during the next two years. "We have already decided that within two years we will create at least more than 10 lakh jobs for the unemployed youths. Planning Commission has assured us of full support."
"We discussed about the 17 new industrial clusters that we will develop in Bengal," Banerjee said, adding that the clusters would help in job creation for the unemployed segment.
Six of the 17 clusters would be in minority-dominated regions. The state is looking to set up 5,000 industrial units in those cluster, sources privy to the development said.
For the state, a major area of focus would be to develop infrastructure and tourism, she said, adding that she wants to turn Kolkata into London and Darjeeling into Switzerland.
"We also want to develop Kolkata. Why cannot Kolkata be another London? We want to undertake tourism based industries in the Sundarbans area. Like in African safari we can also build up our area in Sundarbans. Darjeeling can be our Switzerland," Banerjee said.
She said the state government aims to provide electricity connection to all villages in West Bengal within next three years.
"We have to also take care of skill development. We have to take care of education and health which are in dangerous condition. Also water preservation," she said.
The Chief Minister asked for help in facilitating better connectivity, including air connectivity, to six places including Malda, Santiniketan, Haldia and the Sundarbans.
The state government also plans to open 300 diagnostics centres in railway lands, sources said.
According to a statement released later, Ahluwalia, during the discussions said the state needs to accelerate growth and make it more inclusive.
He said the focus of the development initiatives should be health, education and employment generation.
The Plan panel chief said new initiatives are needed to create investor friendly environment and improve both social and physical infrastructure, and added that public private partnership in development of roads and health sector needs to be encouraged.
Ahluwalia said in the process of rebuilding the state's emphasis should also be on improving revenue generation.
He said the Commission will also give priority to the cluster approach in the 12th Plan.
Briefing the Commission, Banerjee said that focus would be on faster and more inclusive growth on sustainable basis and better opportunities for employment and income generation would be created.
The Chief Minister said the delivery of services would be improved and emphasis will be on development of micro, small and medium enterprises.
Banerjee pointed out that a sustainable development strategy is being worked out to address the problems of the state which would be based on the full exploitation of the available areas of strength.
She said a separate department for the Development of North Bengal would be set up which will exclusively look after six north Bengal districts.
indianexpress
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