A Parliamentary panel has asked the government to make strenuous efforts to improve the performance of state-run NTPC in the backdrop of lower than planned expenditure by the PSU during 12th Five-Year Plan. "..the government should make strenuous effort to improve the performance of NTPC...pre-emptive steps be taken so that the lesser expenditure during the 12th Plan should not result in truncated target for NTPC for capacity addition during the 13th Plan (2017-22)," the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Power said in its report tabled in Lok Sabha on Monday. The panel observed that even if the expected expenditure of Rs 1,20,700 crore at the end of 12th Plan (March 2017) is achieved, there would be a huge shortfall of Rs 98,913 crore which stands at 45 per cent of the target (expenditure in the 12th Plan period 2012-17).