President, Dr. Zakir Husain said here [New Delhi] to-day [November 15] that the draft Fourth Plan will be presented to the National Development Council in January next. The preparation of the Fourth Plan had involved difficult choices at every stage and a re-formulation of basic national policies. Inaugurating the conference of Governors at Rashtrapati Bhavan to-day, Dr. Husain said that the past year had been a period of continuous and intense political activity in almost every State leading to the imposition of President’s rule in several States. He expressed the hope that the conference would afford an opportunity for resolving the difficulties that the Governors might be encountering in the context of these developments. As constitutional heads of States and sometimes as administrators directly responsible to the President and the Parliament they had been confronted with a variety of political and other problems calling for mature judgment and experience. The President hoped that after the mid-term elections in February next stable governments would emerge in four States of West Bengal, Bihar, Punjab and U.P. where President’s rule had to be imposed following failure of constitutional machinery. Only stable governments could ensure economic and social progress, he said. The President also referred to the general economic situation, food situation and the damage caused by drought and floods in some States. During 1967-68, he said, the national income at constant prices rose by as much as 9.1 per cent, due primarily to the sharp rise in agricultural output. Industrial output had in recent months responded to the revival of demand and the greater availability of raw materials.
