The allocation of plan budget is also below the amount that the UT had asked from the Centre.

As per the Union Budget presented today, UT has been allocated Rs 304.65 crore as the budget estimates in plan allocation, against the revised estimates of Rs 317.63 crore under the same head in 2007-08. However, the allocation under the budget estimates for planned expenditure in the last year's budget was Rs 267.63 crore, marginally less than this year's plan allocation.

A senior official in the administration said they had asked for an allocation of Rs 500 crore for the next fiscal as the plan budget, while the planning commission had cut the figure to Rs 400 crore. The allocation now has been Rs 304.65 crore.

The UT is projected to generate a surplus of Rs 577 crore in 2008-09, against Rs 499 crore in 2007-08. The UT has been generating surplus of more than Rs 400 crore for the last few years.

Meanwhile, the gross planned and non-planned budget allocation to UT is Rs 1547.65 crore, against Rs 1417.63 crore in the last year's budget.

The three core areas: human development, infrastructure and environment have been allocated 86 per cent of the total plan allocation. The three areas combined have been allocated Rs 260.42 crore.

The education sector has been allocated Rs 53.01 crore, while medical and public health have got

Rs 46.65 crore. The non-plan budget allocation for 2008-09 is Rs 1243 crore, against Rs 1,150 crore last year. The reduction of the net allocation from Rs 901 crore in the revised estimates of Rs 901 crore in 2007-08 to Rs 890 crore in this budget has been attributed to lesser requirement of funds for land acquisition.