Achieving higher growth is not an end in itself.   The growth of the economy has to result in increased socio-economic standards of all the people of the State. The economic growth does not   automatically result in increased socio-economic standards of all the people as the society is much larger than the economy and also most of the people do not   have capabilities to participate in the economy. Thus, the planning should have explicit objectives which are consistant with the growth objective and also aim at capacity building. The plan should also spell out strategies through which   the desired levels of socio-econonic development to be achieved.   

The Objectives of the Plan

1. To achieve an overall target growth rate 7 percent per annum.
2. To reduce the poverty through income and employment generating    programmes.
3. To increase the literacy rate to 75 percent within the plan period.
4. To improve the health parameters - birth rate, death rate, infant mortality rate and maternal mortality rate and reduce the gap between the State and national averages.
5. To bring down the population growth rate to 1.62 percent by 2011.
6. To provide potable drinking water to all villages in the State.
7. To ensure social, economic and political empowerment of the weaker sections of the society.
8. To increase the agricultural production through extensive and intensive cultivation.
9. To expand the existing irrigation facilities and conservation of water resources.
10. To improve the physical infrastructure like power and roads.
11. To develop information technology and biotchnology.

The order of the above objectives does not reflect the order of the priorities of the State. All are equally important, internally consistent   and mutually reinforcing.     The total size of the Tenth Plan is Rs. 25737.25 Cr. at current prices as against the Ninth Plan approved outlay of Rs. 20075.00 Cr. These figures are not comparable as the State of Madhya Pradesh was bifurcated on 1^st November 2000. The Planning Commission indicated that the   size of the Tenth Plan may be 5.5 times that of the budgetary support provided to the Annual Plan of 2001-02 in nominal terms. However, the proposed size of the Tenth is seven times that of the approved outlay of the Annual Plan 2001-02.

The sectoral outlays for the Ninth Plan and Tenth Plan are presented in the table below. The detailed sectoral outlays are given in the Annexure.

The Sectoral Percentage Distribution of Plan Outlays

The outlay for social sector constitutes one third of the total outlay and thus still continues to be the priority sector. However, the proportion of the social sector outlay has come down from 42.37%   in the Ninth Plan to 29.68% in the Tenth Plan. This is mainly because areas like education and health are being funded from outside the budgetary resources. The infrastructure sectors - irrigation, power and roads are thrust areas of the Tenth Plan. There is a substantial increase in the plan outlay of the irrigation sector constituting 19.10% of the Tenth Plan. The proportion of the outlay on irrigation has increased from 13.56% in the Ninth Plan to 19.10% in the Tenth Plan. Similarly, the proportion of the outlay on energy has increased from 17.33% in the Ninth Plan to 21.39% in the Tenth Plan. The proportion of the outlay on transport sector has increased from 2.80% in the Ninth Plan to 5.94% in the Tenth Plan, mainly because of the increased outlay on roads and bridges.

Poverty alleviation is most important agenda of the State government. The Tenth Plan proposes to bridge the gap between the poverty ratio (both Rural & Urban)   of the State and the national average. The State proposes to continue all the Centrally sponsored poverty alleviation programmes, employment generation programmes and rural housing programmes and has made enough plan provisions for the State share. The watershed development programme would be expanded and more area would be brought under irrigation.

The scheme of Environment Improvement of Urban Slums (EIUS) has improved the living condition of the people living in slums by providing basic amenities like approach roads, sewerage, drinking water and public toilets. The scheme would benefit 91,665 during the Tenth Plan. In order to decongest the major cities the scheme of Integrated Development Plans of Small and Medium Town is being implemented in the State. Under the scheme, it is proposed to develop 40 medium & small towns during this plan period.

Agriculture being backbone of state economy its growth is vital   to the growth of economy and also   for employment generation.   The Plan would aim at increasing the productivity through improved inputs like better irrigation, higher seed replacement, increased fertilizer consumption and better credit facilities. It is envisaged to enhance the level of food grain production to 178.50 lakh tonnes, cereals to 139.54 lakh tonnes, oilseeds to 60.40 lakh tonnes and pulses to 38.96 lakh tonnes by the end of Tenth Plan. Horticulture activities will be encouraged in the Tenth Plan as income generating measure. At present, horticulture related activities cover about 3.00 percent of total cropped area which will be doubled by the end of the Tenth Plan. For diversifying agriculture, attempts will be made to develop animal husbandry and dairy and fisheries activities which have immense employment potential, besides sources of nutrition. The plan also aims at developing agriculture infrastructure like market yards, storage, handling & transportation and food / agro parks.  

Forestry is another important area in the primary sector. The plan proposes to lay emphasis on rehabilitation of degraded forest including bamboo forest, hi-tech plantation, compensatory afforestation in lieu of settle ment of encroachments on forest land and development of fuel wood and fodder reserves. Public particiaption in the forest management through Joint Forest Management(JFM) committee would be encouraged.    

As mentioned above, Irrigation is another important thrust area   of the Tenth Plan. It is proposed to create additional irrigation potential of 2 lakh hectares of major irrigation, 0.15 lakh hectares of medium irrigation and 1.25 lakh hectares of minor irrigation. In order to increase the present utilisation it is proposed to take up four new externally aided programmes and two modernisation schemes during the Tenth Plan. In addition, 0.40 lakh   hectare of irrigation potential would be created under the schemes of Narmada Valley Development Authority (NVDA).

The present installed capacity of power in the State is 2940.45 MW comprising of 2147.5 MW thermal and 792.95 MW hydel capacity. Further, it has a share of 1292.63 MW in the Central Sector Projects. The State is presently facing acute power shortage. Against the peak demand of 5313 MW, the peak availability is 3338 MW and there is shortage of 1975 MW (37.2 %). A capacity addition of 835.4 MW is proposed during the Tenth Plan which includes Sanjay Gandhi TPS Extension (500 MW), Amarkantak TPS Extension (200 MW), remaining units of Bansagar Tons HEP (55 MW), Marikheda HEP (60 MW), Beehar Small Hydel Project (10 MW) and five Mini Micro Hydel Projects of 10.4 MW.   Besides generation, the transmission & distribution would be given importance. The distribution and transmission losses at present are 47 percent and much higher than the national averages. It is proposed to bring down these losses to 26 percent during this plan period. The outlay proposed for the transmission schemes is Rs. 600 crore for the Tenth Plan. The plan outlay for strengthening of sub-transmission and distribution system and Revenue Management System is Rs. 960 crore for the Tenth Plan.      

The development of the Narmada Basin for irrigation and power sector is one of the most important aspects   of the perspective plan for the development of the State. The major project in Narmada valley would result in 14.18 lakh Hectare of irrigation and 21.50 MW power. The cost of the total project is Rs. 13033 crore and as against this the expenditure till March 2001 is Rs. 3023 crore. The required funds as per the project scheduled in the Tenth Plan is Rs. 4676 crore and as against this an allocation of only Rs. 2000 crore is made. It is necessary that the Government of India may evolve an mechanism for funding this project. With the available resources of the State Government, it is very difficult to complete this project in time. It is proposed to complete the Indira Sagar and Omkareshwar projects that would generate 1520 MW power.

As part of the infrastructure development, the road sector is given priority. The Public Works Department would construct a road length of 4,770   Kms, 35 major bridges, 615 medium bridges, 10 railways over bridges and 14,300 culverts during the plan period. In addition to this a massive rural roads programme under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana has been taken up. Apart from regular plan outlays and private capital, additional resources have been mobilized through NH funds, Central Road Fund, NABARD loans for rural roads, Mandi cess, Infrastructure Bonds, HUDCO loans etc. A comprehensive road development policy has been prepared and placed on the web-site. Under this policy the maintenance of raods is given priority. Based on the study of the road renewal cycles followed in other states and other relevant factors, it has been decided to adopt following renewal cycles for various categories of roads in the state : National Highways - One-third of the road length each year, State Highways - One-fifth of the road length each year, Major District Roads- One-sixth of the road length each year,   Village Roads - One-eighth of the road length each year. A State Road Maintenance Fund will be created by pooling the toll revenue and assistance obtained from C.R.F., Mandi Cess and Road Tax etc. and also by levy of additional cess on fuel and taxes on vehicles. The objective of such a fund would be not only to pool available resources for their optimal utilization by award of contracts to large professionally managed companies, but also to leverage these resources to increase the available pool. The available funds would be offered as 'equity participation' to provide BOT operators who would pool in their own resources and bid for a pre-determined concession period. Private sector partnership would thus not only increase the available pool of funds but would enhance maintenance/reconstruction activities by application of modern techniques. A detailed scheme for Road Maintenance fund will be framed by PWD and implemented.

The education policy of the State is to consolidate in the efforts made during the Ninth Plan and increase the literacy rate to 75% by end of the plan period. After achieving the universal access to primary schools, the Tenth Plan would focus on improving the access and quality of elementary education. This would be done by improving physical infrastructure, academic process and school management. The plan would also aim to bring down the drop out rate especially amongst girls and weaker section of the society. Priority would be given to the districts which are below the literacy levels (especially the female literacy level) of the State.  

Madhya Pradesh ranks among the lowest in the country in terms of nearly all health related indicators. The plan aims to bridge the gap between the State and the national averages on priority basis. In order to provide health care to all villages, the plan envisages to strengthen the health infrastructure in rural, tribal and   slum areas. It is proposed to bring down the Infant Mortality rate (IMR) from 91 per thousand live births to 45, reduce Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) to 2 per thousand lives birth, reduce the total fertility rate from 4 to 3 and reduce the child mortality rate to 90 during the plan period. Specific strategies would be evolved in the area where these are very high as compared to the state average.   It is also proposed to establish eleven Regional Diagnostic Centers. All efforts would be made to involve all NGO's and community in the primary health care.   

The state's persistent effort to improve the quality of life of its people rendered difficult by the continued high levels of fertility and mortality. Having realized the seriousness of the rapidly growing population and the high infant and child mortality rates, the Government of Madhya Pradesh has decided to set the goal of achieving replacement fertility of 2.01 by 2011. This goal will only be achieved by adopting a more holisitic approach to the problem of rapid population growth. A wide range of services that directly or indirectly contribute to the decline of fertility and mortality will be offered with inter-sectoral cooperation of different departments of the State government. Panchayati Raj Institutions, Urban Local Bodies, non-government organisations, and the private sector. 

As the State is heading towards Demographic transition, most of the populace faces new challenges. As the hopes and aspirations of the people have risen by leaps and bounds due to maturing of democracy and ever increasing number of informed masses. It has become our bounded duty to find quick solution to their basic problems so as to smoothen the transition phase and ensure a good quality of life of our people. The State Government is committed to bring down the population growth to 1.62 percent by 2011.

The proportion of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes in the total population of the State is much higher than the national averages. These groups are not only economically backward but also socially discriminated. These groups suffer from   low literacy levels, poor living conditions, untouchablility and social dogma. The State is committed  to bring them into the mainstream of development and has been working untiringly through various plan schemes. Various social awareness compaign are launched. Financial assistance is provided to Scheduled Caste persons and families who have been victimised by the other groups. Physical infrastructure like drinking water, roads, electricity, health sub centers and community hall is provided in the Scheduled Caste colonies.

Similarly, the Government is committed to bringing the Scheduled Tribes to mainstream of the Society. There are many plan schemes for education and skill development. It is also proposed to established District Centers of Excellence in each district. This scheme aims to encourage meritorious students so as to enable them get admission in professional courses and higher learning. It is also proposed to set up a Museum at Bhopal to preserve the rich cultural heritage of tribal art and craft.

The Tenth Plan would continue to focus on all round development of Women and Children through consolidation, restructuring, revitalisation and conversions of various on going programmes and initiation of new activities. It is proposed to strengthen the on going scheme of self help group to give socio-economic empowerment to women. It is proposed to form the total number of 3,25,000 women self help groups by the end of Tenth Plan period. The plan is committed to bring down the endemic malnutritions among women and children through health and nutrition programmes under ICDS. The present schemes of   'Jabali' , to help women in prostitution and their children is being strengthened.

The Tenth Plan proposes to develop tourism sector taking advantage of having large number of diverse tourist destination. The Eleventh Finance Commission has also recognised the importance and potential of tourism sector and has provided Rs. 45 crore. There are about 400 places of tourist interest. At present only 15 major places are identified for tourism development. It is proposed to develop one good tourist spot in each district during the Tenth Plan. The tourism in the State would be marketed by the product through promotion and publicity. It is proposed to organise more cultural festivals at important tourist destination like Khujaraho. During the plan period, it is targeted to develop two more tourist circuits - Jabalpur-Bhedhaghat-kanha-Bandhavgarh and Bhopal-Bhojpur-Bhimbetaka-Panchmari.    It is also proposed to set up water sport facility at Shivpuri, Orcha, Dhuvela and Morena.

The Government is committed to empowering the citizens through information dissemination. It shall leverage Information Technology for this purpose. It is proposed that all districts shall use information technology to disseminate information to its citizens using the Gyandoot.   The Gyandoot offers an online inter-face with the government and delivers services online to the citizens through information kiosks. This model has been successful in Dhar. Some of the services currently offered through Gyandoot are agriculture produce auction centre rates, copies of land records, online registration of applications, public grievance redressal, rural e-mail facility, online matrimonial facility, information regarding government programs and schemes and downloadable forms for applications, licences, certificates etc. It shall be the endeavour of the government to constantly explore newer technologies to find a cost effective and user friendly solution providing access.

The state proposes to   develop of a Life Sciences Gateway at Bhopal comprising a symbiotic mix of academics, cutting edge research and a vibrant industry cluster. The government has already constituted a separate Department of Bio-diversity and Bio-Technology. The department will be responsible for policy formulation, laying down the regulatory framework, ensuring sustainable use of natural resources, promoting the use of applications in biotecnology and laisoning with the Department of Biotechnology at the centre.

As a part of revitalisation of Panchayati Raj Institution and Urban Local Bodies, the District Planning Committee (DPC) have also been constituted in every district. A core group consisting of one resource person from education, economics, sociology, statistics and a social worker who is fully conversant with development of the district was created to prepare the district plan. A three day comprehensive training programme was organised for District Collectors, Planning Officers and resource persons. A mannual on district planning was prepared and the training of all the MLAs, Chairman of District Panchayats, all the District collectors and District Planning Officers was organised in the State Assembly and the concept and whole procedure of district planning together with various steps in the district planning process were explained to them with audio-video slides. The State has decided to implement decentralised district planning process from the year 2002-03. The DPC have prepared district plan proposals   for the year 2002-03. An outlay of Rs. 1571 crore has been given for the District plan for the Annual Plan 2002-03 which is about one-third of the total plan size for the year 2002-03.