NEW DELHI, Oct 30 — Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee has set in motion a mega exercise of building an India of his vision in a time frame of 10-15 years.

Mr Vajpayee, who has consistently spoken of propelling this country to dizzy heights by eliminating the scourge of want, illiteracy and poverty, has desired that every ministry and department prepare a “vision statement” after due and careful deliberation involving experts.

All ministries and departments have been given three months to prepare the vision statement.

Impartial observers here apprehend that the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government’s vision statement can be a precursor to bidding adieu to the Nehruvian era of economic management with the Planning Commission acting as the pivot.

In the years to come the Planning Commission and the National Development Council might well become ineffective in the wake of the Union Ministries/departments enjoying unfettered powers in preparing their own medium to long term action plans.

With a large number of states demanding greater devolution of powers so that they did not have to rush to the Centre at the drop of hat for securing needed financial resources, the Planning Commission might soon have to take a back seat.

There are any number of states and regional satraps who firmly believe that the Planning Commission has lost its utility in playing the role of a facilitator because of the increasing resource crunch and inordinate delays in finalising the Plans.

In a confidential and most immediate communication to all the 75 secretaries of the Union Ministries and departments barely 10 days back, Cabinet Secretary Prabhat Kumar has underlined the need for every ministry/department to prepare its “vision statement.”

This letter by Mr Kumar acquires significance, coming as it does on the eve of his bidding adieu to government on attaining the age of superannuation. Mr Kumar, who is slated for a gubernatorial assignment in the newly created state of Jharkhand next month, hands over charge as the country’s topmost civil servant to T. R. Prasad who formally assumes office as Cabinet Secretary on November 1.

There is intense speculation that Mr Vajpayee’s vision statement may be unveiled in Parliament during the Budget session scheduled to begin in February next year along with the Economic Survey for 2000-2001.

Mr Kumar said in his letter to the secretaries that there is need for a “long term vision or a road map covering a time frame of 10 to 15 years” indicating the direction in which the ministries/departments wish to proceed and the major objectives that are sought to be achieved in the process.

He discloses that the Prime Minister has approved such a vision statement. Once the Ministry/Department has prepared its vision statement, a presentation of the same will be made before Mr Vajpayee prior to its finalisation.

“The finalised vision statement thereafter could be broken down into its five-yearly as well as annual components, the progress regarding which could be regularly reviewed at the level of the Cabinet Secretary. A few priority items of the vision statement could be reviewed at the level of the Prime Minister on periodical basis,” the letter noted.