[giftbestcom]

The Centre will assess the requirement of finances of Tamil Nadu and other four states where new governments have been formed post-elections and allot funds accordingly, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, deputy chairman, Planning Commission, said here on Saturday.

“We will have discussions with the newly formed governments in five states on the annual plan outlay and study their requirement,“ he said on Saturday. Mr Ahluwalia, who was in the city to deliver the Indian Overseas Bank platinum jubilee speech `Twelfth Five Year Plan * Gateway to a Defining Decade, told reporters upon his arrival at the airport here that the dates for the deliberations with the five states are yet to be fixed.

“Tamil Nadu's performance has been good,“ he replied, when asked to comment on how the state fared in implementing planned schemes and utilisation of funds. Asked about rising inflation and fluctuating crude oil prices, Mr Ahluwalia claimed that inflation had been declining in the recent past and expressed hope that it would be brought under control soon. Though crude oil prices are fluctuating and inflation figures mounting, Mr Ahluwalia said, “We should be able to bring the inflation rate down quickly.
The rate is coming down.“

The Reserve Bank of India has accepted that inflation is going to stay within the range of 8-8.5 per cent and had said that it could come down to 6 per cent.

Mr Ahluwalia had recently remarked that nobody in the world had a fix on inflation and that it is one of the dominant negatives in the world economy, especially in emerging markets. “We hope that it will come down to 6 per cent soon,“ he said.

- - DC Chennai