Non-Congress states growing at better rate

The UPA government, already pushed to the corner due to multiple scams, inflation and the people’s crusade against corruption, will have to deal with another piece of bad news. Non-UPA ruled states are way ahead in economic growth compared to the ones ruled by the Congress, according to the Planning Commission.

The approach paper for the 12th plan to be presented to PM Manmohan Singh on Saturday says states like Bihar, UP, Orissa, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand have notched up impressive figures in the past four years.

All these states, the paper says, have done exceptionally well in the 11th plan with an average growth rate of over 6%. While Bihar registered a growth rate of over 10%, the figure for Jharkhand and Orissa was 10.6% and 9.6% respectively.

These states, which figured as the maligned BIMARU states, have demolished their “backward” tag. Congress-ruled Rajasthan also makes it to the exclusive list, but detractors attribute it to the legacy of BJP’s rule before the Ashok Gehlot government took over.
Sources told DNA that the Planning Commission members will discuss the paper with Singh and get his approval before presenting it to the cabinet.

The report will make it easier for UP CM Mayawati to demand an additional Rs80,000 crore as a special package for the backward areas of Purvanchal and Bundelkhand. So far, the commission has earmarked Rs47,000 crore to UP for 2011-12.