Addressing the Assembly on the first day of the budget session, Haryana Governor AR Kidwai said there was a proposal to establish a new medical college exclusively for girls at Khanpur Kalan in Sonepat district, and another medical college in Mewat district.

The four new research laboratories that are proposed to be set up during next year include a molecular biology lab, virus detection lab, secondary metabolite lab and plant tissue culture lab.

Kidwai said the government was trying to speed public spending, to give a boost to the economy, in light of the economic meltdown. The size of the annual plan for 2009-10 was being increased by 50.37 per cent, from Rs 6,650 crore to Rs 10,000 crore, he said. There was higher allocation for infrastructure comprising power, roads, buildings, water supply and sanitation.

The Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) during 2007-08 was estimated at Rs 1,53,087 crore as against Rs 1,30,033 crore in 2006-07, registering a growth rate of 17.7 per cent at current prices.

Governor also reiterated the commitment of the government to get Haryana its complete share in the Ravi-Beas waters through the Sutlej-Yamuna-Link Canal. He said that the ‘Rajiv Gandhi Drinking Water Supply Augmentation Project’ was being implemented in Mewat area with financial support from National Capital Region Planning Board, at a cost of Rs 205.91 crore. As many as 1,18,296 eligible families have been allotted residential plots of 100 sq yards by the government.