The Planning Commission of India has allocated a sum of whooping Rs. 49,000 crore to the state of Maharashtra for its annual plan and the state will receive an additional Rs. 31,500 crore as public sector enterprises
(PSE) plan.

The Planning Commission of India on Monday approved Haryana's annual plan of Rs 27,072 crore for the financial year 2013-14.

The plan was finalized by Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia and Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda at Yojana Bhawan in New Delhi.

Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia has said that he expects the country's current account deficit (CAD) to come down to 2.5 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) in the next two to three years from about 5 per cent at present.

"Traditionally we have seen it at 2.5 per cent of the GDP at comfortable level. I think we will take at least two to three years to get there, I think this country for another 20 years can run CAD at around 2.5 per cent of GDP," he said. He was speaking at the meeting of the Asia Pacific Regional Committee.

Green energy sources have so far failed to gain momentum they cost more than conventional sources, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia said.

Speaking at the fourth Clean Energy Ministerial on Wednesday, Mr. Ahluwalia said that green energy would not be chosen even when it became competitive, because of price distortion.

He admitted that the price distortion was due to subsidizing of conventional energy sources.

Montek Singh Ahluwalia, the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission has said that the country is planning to showcase tis clean energy initiatives to the world during the upcoming Clean Energy Ministerial next week.

The country is hosting the Clean Energy Ministerial that is a platform for promoting policies and programmes that advance clean energy technology. Ahluwalia said that the countries who will be represented at the event should know about India's energy policy.

New Delhi, April 10 : Himachal Pradesh's 2013-14 Annual Plan outlay was fixed at Rs. 4,100 crore by the Planning Commission Wednesday, Rs. 400 crore more than last year's plan size.

The plan size is 11 percent higher than the Rs. 3,700 crore outlay for 2012-13, an official statement said.

The outlay was finalised at a meeting between Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia and Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh here.

New Delhi, March 20 : The Planning Commission Wednesday approved Rs. 40,500 crore outlay for Rajasthan for the financial year beginning April 1, 2013, and asked the state to make a long-term strategy to meet water requirements.

The plan outlay for the next financial year was finalised during a meeting between Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia and Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.

During the meeting, Ahluwalia said water security was a major challenge for Rajasthan and a careful approach was needed to meet the growing demands.

Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia has said on Monday that he expects the Indian economy to grow in the range of 7 to 8 per cent during the coming five years based on the precious records.

India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had to step into resolve the difference between Finance Minister P Chidambaram and Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia over Gross Budgetary Support (GBS) for Plan expenditure in Budget 2013-14.

The GBS for Plan expenditure in Budget 2013-14 was finalised in the previous week after the decision was delayed due to the differences over the matter between Montek Singh and Chidambaram. Reports indicate that the Prime Minister agreed with the finance minister over the figures, which will be revealed next week as part of the union budget.

New Delhi, Feb 21 : Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia on Wednesday said that there is an urgent need to massively increase our skill provision capabilities and the 12th five-year plan focuses on skill development to meet the requirements.

The Planning Commission of India has recommended moving to a nutrient based subsidy (NBS) on fertilisers in the country.

The panel also said that there should be a balance between different kinds of crop nutrients so that the soil health can be maintained. Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia said that the commission is in favour of nutrient based subsidy in the country.

Most of the so-called "Bimaru" states can now do away with that designation as they have successfully topped the growth charts and are well above the national average, according to Planning Commission's deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia.

The "Bimaru" acronym was coined by a demographer Ashish Bose in 1980s, to classify Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh states lagging far behind others and struggling to grow.

Fixing high reserve price for 2G spectrum auction that took place last week was a mistake, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia has said.

The government had fixed Rs 14,000 crore as the base price for the recently held 2G spectrum auction, which could only raise Rs 9,407 crore, against the government's target of Rs
40,000 crore.

Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia has said today that the price-pooling mechanism must be used in supply of coal for the power generation units in the country while admitting that the resolution to some of the issues might take longer time to be resolved.

The process of Indian economy's recovery has started and the economy would enjoy a growth rate of 6 per cent or higher in the second half current financial year, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia said.

Ahluwalia said that the higher growth would be driven by the government's current initiatives, such as policy changes to attract foreign investors.

Japan has assured India that it is committed to a bilateral nuclear energy pact with India, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia has confirmed.

The two countries decided to step up comprehensive energy collaboration in the sixth round of the India-Japan energy dialogue, which took place in Tokyo on Wednesday.

Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission, will soon meet Ghulam Nabi Azad to settle differences over the planning & formulation of the health policy in the 12th Five Year Plan.

During the recently-held full meeting of the Planning Commission, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asked Mr. Azad to meet Mr. Ahluwalia to sort out the differences.

Full Planning Commission is expected to approve the recommended cut down of average annual growth target for the 12th Five Year Plan from 9 per cent to 8.2 per cent.

Members of the planning commission, headed by the Prime Minister, will meet today. The meeting will also be attended by key Cabinet ministers.

Analysts believe that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) might keep its key interest rates unchanged at its upcoming quarterly review next week.

A total of 20 economists surveyed by Reuters, 19 expect the RBI to keep its interest rates unchanged even as the industrialists are expecting the central bank to lose its tight control over the monetary position in the country.

The Indian economy is not likely to return to the high growth trajectory registering an average growth rate of 9 per cent until the next five years, according to Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia.

He predicted a gloomy scenario for the present, 12th five year plan from 2012 to 2017. Ahluwalia has said that an average growth rate of 9 per cent for the Indian economy is not possible in the next five years due to continuing uncertainties in the global economy.