In his farewell speech to the Planning Commission, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday said India’s growth story is “work in progress” and there is still a long way to go.
“India’s development story is a work in progress...But there is a lot of distance that is still to be covered,” he said in his last interaction with members of the Planning Commission.
Dr. Singh, who is Chairman of the Commission, made a case for reorienting the body to remain relevant in the globalised world.
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“With an increasingly open and liberalised economy with a greater reliance on market mechanisms, we need to reflect on what the role of the Planning Commission needs to be in this new world,” Dr. Singh said while recalling his long association with the Commission.
Expressing satisfaction over the working of the Commission during the UPA’s 10-year rule, the Prime Minister hoped the panel would “subject itself to a critical review and will continue to play a leading role in the policy debate in government and in the development of our nation.”
The Commission, Dr. Singh said, needs to evaluate its approach to problems and challenges in the evolving economic scenario.
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“Are we still using tools and approaches which were designed for a different era? Have we added on new functions and layers without any restructuring of the more traditional activities in the Commission?” Singh asked as he flagged some of the issues.
Dr. Singh’s association with the Commission started in April 1980, when he became a member-secretary. He was also Deputy Chairman of the body when Rajiv Gandhi was Prime Minister.