M A I N   N E W S

Modi invites public views on replacing plan panel
Sanjeev Sharma
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 19
After having announced the end of the road for the Planning Commission, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invited the public to participate and offer ideas on the new body.

According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Modi has invited ideas from people on what shape the new institution to replace the Planning Commission can take. A special open forum has been created on the website mygov.nic.in for suggestions on the new institution.

“We envision the proposed institution as one that caters to the aspirations of the 21st century India and strengthens participation of the states.... Let the ideas flow,” the Prime Minister said.

In his Independence Day address, Modi had said, “Within a short period, we will replace the Planning Commission with a new institution having a new design and structure, a new body, a new soul, a new thinking, a new direction, a new faith towards forging a new direction to lead the country based on creative thinking, public-private partnership, optimum utilization of resources, utilization of youth power of the nation, to promote the aspirations of state governments seeking development, to empower the state governments and to empower the federal structure”.

The government has initiated the move on involving people in giving ideas on governance issues. The financial inclusion plan announced by the Prime Minister on the Independence Day called Jan Dhan Yojna was also chosen after inviting ideas from the public.

The government has also posted the 1950 Cabinet resolution which led to the creation of Planning Commission. The Cabinet resolution dated March 15, 1950 shows that the Planning Commission does not have a constitutional status and was formed through a decision of the then government headed by Jawaharlal Nehru.

Some political parties have attacked the move to dismantle the Planning Commission. The CPM Politburo said in a statement that the move had been initiated without any discussion in Parliament.

“The Modi Government has not spelt out what will be put in place instead of the commission. This is an arbitrary and ad hoc move that will only facilitate further private capital profit maximisation at the expense of curtailing even the existing meager resource allocation for peoples’ welfare programmes”, the statement said.

Opposing the decision to do away with the Planning Commission and have a new institution in its place will “cost the nation”, Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan said today.

“Recent decisions like abolishing Planning Commission will cost the nation,” Chavan said. “It is dangerous to hand over financial matters to Free Economy,” the Chief Minister tweeted.