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[aryan]

NEW DELHI: The UPA dispensation may be getting restless over managing resources to fund a slew of social sector schemes through disinvestment but

railway minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee is unlikely to go along.

Sticking to her line against disinvestment, she raised the red flag again at the full Planning Commission meeting on Tuesday chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. She also opposed curtailing of subsidies in sectors like power and she is believed to have made her view clear at the meeting. According to sources, the TMC chief opposed disinvestment plans by the government.

It is, however learnt that Mamata suggested to the UPA top brass, including finance minister Pranab Mukherjee and plan panel deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia, to opt for public-private-partnership (PPP) model to raise funds in implementing infrastructure projects. "She asked other ministries to follow the PPP model being adopted by the railway ministry," a source said. Mamata also suggested that the government draw out a 10-year action plan to combat natural calamities and severe flood or drought situations in the country.

The railway minister's opposition came at a time when Planning Commission called for a "bold and clear" disinvestment programme that would help in meeting the resource gap for the plan expenditure in the next two years.

"In our view, in 2010-11 and 2011-12, a bold and clear programme for disinvestment would help meet some of these shortages (in resources for the plan expenditure)," deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia said.

According to the plan panel note, there would be a shortage of Rs 1.6 lakh crore for plan purposes during the 11th five-year plan.