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http://pib.nic.in/archieve/others/2014/dec/d2014120701.pdfSeeking to strengthen cooperative federalism, Prime MinisterNarendra Modi on Sunday said states must have a greater role in the new body to replace the existing Planning Commission.
The process of policy planning also had to change from “top to bottom” and “bottom to top”, he said, stressing it was impossible for the nation to develop till states developed.
Modi said this at his meeting with chief ministers, convened to discuss the structure of the new body that will be alternative to the Planning Commission.
The meeting was attended by Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and chief ministers of all states except West Bengal (Mamata Banerjee) and Jammu & Kashmir (Omar Abdullah).
Modi said the replacement to the Planning Commission must incorporate the concept of “Team India”, which according to him, was a combination of three teams — the prime minister and chief ministers; the Union council of ministers; and the bureaucracy at the Centre and in states.
The states should have a key role in the new body, Modi said, adding “states sometimes feel there is no platform to express their views... there should be an effective mechanism to address inter-state disputes”.
“Can we develop a new mechanism that plans according to India’s strengths, empowers states, and brings on board all economic activity, including that which happens outside the government,” the Prime Minister asked, setting the tone for the discussion.
Later, Modi described the meeting as “fruitful”, saying all chief ministers had offered significant suggestions.
Recalling the remarks of former prime minister Manmohan Singh, associated for a long time with the Planning Commission, Modi said Singh had noted that the body had no futuristic vision in the post-reform period.
Singh, he added, also wanted the Planning Commission to reinvent itself to remain more effective and relevant in the present situation.
Invoking the spirit of “cooperative federalism”, the prime minister said the current global scenario offered a chance for India to take a big leap forward.
This, he added, was possible by formulating a suitable replacement to the Commission with a view to suitably harnessing the strengths of the country.
Modi said the role, relevance and restructuring of the Planning Commission had been repeatedly questioned for more than two decades.
The first introspection was done after the launch of economic reforms in 1992, when it was felt a different approach was required in the light of changing government policy, he said.
Even in 2012, the Parliamentary Consultative Committee stressed the need for a serious look at the Planning Commission and the need for a new body to replace it.
The prime minister further said development was now a priority for all, and the time had come to develop a new mechanism to deliver growth and development.
Modi noted think-tanks in countries like the US functioned independently of the government and had a major role in policy-making.
In India too, he added, there was a great deal of economic activity that happened outside the government set-up, and there was a need to design policies for them as well.
Modi further said inputs provided by chief ministers would help shape the structure of the new body to replace the Planning Commission.
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