Pant told The Financial Express, "I have informed the finance minister for the need of a states' meeting for finances. I expect a positive reply." It was decided at the National Development Council meet on February 19 that such a meeting would be called. But nothing has happened so far.

Talking to The Financial Express, Gehlot said, "All the states are heading towards a financial crisis. Unless all of them sit together, this problem is not going to be solved. For how long governments can continue their plan and even daily expenditures on loans?"

He added, "Out of Rs 4,750 crore for the Annual Plan, Rs 586 crore will be mobilised by the state. We will get Rs 50 crorefor primary education and Rs 50 crore for power." The grant for the border areas development programme is too meagre, "but we recognise the fact that the Centre does not have the money. The deputy chairman is sympathetic to our difficulties, but his hands are tied down." "We had demanded Rs 5,000 crore," said Gahlot.

Pant appreciated the efforts of the state for plan performance, improvement in state domestic product, reducing incidence of rural poverty, and good growth in the rate of literacy. But he drew the attention of the state government to higher birth rate, decline in water table, operational losses in the irrigation projects and widening gender gap in illiteracy.

The Planning Commission deputy chairman said the losses of the Rajasthan Electricity Board have gone up substantially. He also suggested that the state needs to raise the agriculturasl tariff to a minimum rate of Rs 0.50 per unit as against the present Rs 0.33 per unit to reduce the losses.