The Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has called for declaring the 12th Five Years Plan as Water Plan. It is inevitable to draw up a comprehensive plan for efficient water utilization to increase agricultural area, he added. The Chief Minister was addressing a conference organized by the Planning Commission of India to discussion the vision of the 12th Five Years Plan here today. Chief Ministers of Maharashtra, Goa, Gujrat and Rajsthan attended the conference. Instead of making a power point presentation Chouhan preferred to speak extempore, saying that it would save time. Underlining the need to continue implementation of the Bundelkhand package in the 12th Five Years Plan, too, the Chief Minister said that similar packages should be given to backward regions like Vindhya and Mahakaushal which are predominantly inhabited by people belonging to the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes. Chouhan said that adequate central assistance should be provided to all the states to achieve higher growth rate. Along with economic growth the centre and states would need to formulate suitable policies for inclusive development. Madhya Pradesh has set a target of 10 percent growth rate for the 12th Five Years Plan. Central assistance is necessary to help the state mobilize required funds to the state, for developed states have been benefiting more from capital investment in private sector. Just as Northeast and hilly states have been given special status, the backward areas of Madhya Pradesh should also be given similar benefits and the discrepancies in the policies should be removed in the 12th Five Years Plan. Madhya Pradesh has been able to achieve 7.6 percent SGDP growth rate as per the target. There is need to achieve 6-7 percent growth rate in agriculture sector and 12 to 14 percent growth rate in industry and service sectors, he added. Chouhan said that in view of the dominance of the Scheduled Caste and the Scheduled Tribe communities in Madhya Pradesh, the districts having over 25 percent population of these communities should be considered special backward areas in the schemes and funds for them should be allocated accordingly. For such districts, the central and state share ratio should be increased to 90:10 in respect of financial assistance. The Chief Minister called for providing the benefits of special central schemes to the areas and families affected by Narmada Valley Development Projects. He said that the adjoining states get the benefit of water from rivers flowing through Madhya Pradesh, but they do not share the related problems. While calling for considering rapid and inclusive development as a challenge, the Chief Minister said that there is need to formulate financial and social inclusive policies during the 12th Five Years Plan period. In this context, he referred to Ladli Laxmi Yojana, Mukhya Mantri Awas Yojana, Gramin Sadak Yojana, Majdoor Suraksha Yojana and Kanyadan Yojana implemented in Madhya Pradesh. Referring to rural development the Chief Minister emphasized the need for a re-think on the structure and norms of Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana. He said that the main objective of employment guarantee scheme should be focused on construction of permanent assets. Besides, there is need to include skill development work as a necessary component in poverty alleviation programmes and self-employment activities. He informed that Madhya Pradesh government has set up a Council for Vocational Education and Training. About four lakh persons would undergo skill development related training every year during the 12th Five Years Plan. Referring to the steps taken by Madhya Pradesh government to make agriculture a lucrative proposition, Chouhan said that Madhya Pradesh is the first state in the country to provide farm loan at one per cent interest rate through cooperative banks. A novel initiative has been taken to directly deposit the money in the bank accounts of farmers through conditional cash transfer, he said. Describing the inadequate and imbalanced storage arrangement as a hurdle in agricultural growth and marketing Chouhan stressed the need for increasing storage capacity through PPP mode during the 12th Five Years Plan. Where investment is not possible. initiative should be taken to develop storage capacity on long-term lease. Besides, tax exemption should be given for establishment of warehouses and chilling plants by farmers on their lands, he suggested. The Chief Minister demanded freedom for states with regard to laying down guidelines for implementation of centrally sponsored schemes. The states should be allowed to utilize at least 50 percent of the amount as per their local requirements. Chouhan described as important the availability of resources under central programmes for infrastructure development and said that greater private sector participation is needed for infrastructure development. Madhya Pradesh is ahead of all the states in respect of private investment in construction of state roads. The Chief Minister demanded one percent additional increase in the ceiling of obtaining loan for availability of resources. There is need to increase the allocation of funds to 40 percent for Viability Gap Funding for private sector