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DOES COMMISSIONING NEED PLANNING?

he Planning Commission of India was set up in march 1950, not by an act of Parliament, nor as part of a Constitutional provision, but by a cabinet resolution. Hence it is sometimes called an extra - constitutional body, which in theory is an advisory com-

mittee of the cabinet. It was assigned seven duties: One, to make an assessment of the countrys productive resources; Two, to formulate a plan for the most effective and balanced utilisation of these resources; Three, to determine national priorities of development and define the stages of growth and suggest allocation of resources; Four, to indicate factors tending to retard economic development and determine the conditions necessary for the successful execution of the plan; Five, to determine the nature of machinery required for implementation of each stage of the plan; Six, to appraise periodically the progress achieved in plan implementation; and, Seven, to make recommendations for its own effective working. Restructuring of the Planning Commission and the planning process has been the constant refrain of liberal economists since the initiation of the big bang market reforms in 1991. One recommendation is to transform the Planning Commission into a systems reforms commission, Many feel that the initial gains from planning soon fell short of expectations. A complex regulatory framework slowly crystallised to become the dominant symbol of Indian planning. But since 1990s the primary strategy followed by Indian planners, viz: investment planning has lost its relevance due to increasing share of private sector and shrinking influence of public sector; the turf of the Planning Commission has shrunk sharply. Of late the government is also toying with the idea to metamorphose the Plan Panel from a reactive agency into a strategic thinking group, which should map out risks and opportunities by focusing on issues. Is it then time to opt out of the traditional planning model the favoured strategy in the initial phase of industrilisation- and convert it into a think tank to generate original ideas in the very broad domain of economic policy for the government then to act on? What is your take on this?

Subthemes for the issue of planning makeover:

Planning in India : Development strategy and role of state Role of planning : Redefining the role of state The government, the state, and the market Democratic capitalism vs State capitalism Directive planning to indicative planning Makeover of planning and Planning Commission