The Planning Commission will launch a website next week to elicit suggestions and ideas from individuals and social organisations on challenges before the 12th Plan in various sectors of development.
Speaking at a function to mark the 83rd birthday celebrations of the former Union Minister of State for Planning and Congress MLC M.V. Rajasekharan, Deputy Chairman of the commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia said that details regarding the website would be announced in New Delhi.
In the past, the commission appointed committees of experts to elicit suggestions from various sources, State governments and agencies involved in policy planning and implementation. But this time, every individual and social organisation interested in achieving higher growth would be free to give their suggestions. The commission wanted to ascertain whether the policies and programmes were being implemented properly.
Dr. Ahluwalia said that efforts had to continue to consolidate the eight per cent GDP growth and increase it to nine during the 12th Plan for realising the objective of inclusive growth.
States cannot be punished
He made it clear that it was not possible to punish the State governments even if they misused Central funds for implementing projects under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act and the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission. At best, it could hold back funds for some time. Further, the panchayat raj institutions should have their own set of functionaries. People should be aware of the policies and programmes and pressure those implementing them. While agreeing that high productive land should not be acquired for industrial purpose, he said that there was scope for achieving four per cent productivity in agriculture from 3.5 per cent. The commission would come out with an integrated water policy as there was a need to achieve 100 per cent efficiency in management of water for irrigation. Only three per cent of the water available was utilised for drinking.
Former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court M.N. Venkatachalaiah called for a social audit of public spending and alternative administrative philosophy.
Central Silk Board Chairman Hanumanthappa said that direct allocation to gram panchayats had corrupted people. It had led to acute shortage of workers for agriculture, he said, and warned that it may result in food shortage if the trend was not checked.
Minister for Public Works C.M. Udasi, the former chairmen of the Legislative Council V.R. Sudarshan and Veeranna Mathikatti, the former ministers P.G.R. Sindhia, Leeladevi R. Prasad and B.K .Chandrashekar, the former Supreme Court judge Shivaraj Patil, the former Kerala High Court Chief Justice V.S. Malimath, the former Kannada Sahitya Parishat president G. Narayana, Chief Secretary S.V. Ranganath and BBMP Commissioner Siddaiah were among those present.
