Saturday, Apr 27, 2024 | Last Update : 06:37 AM IST
PM directs Aayog to learn from 60-year-old mistakes
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday undertook a critical review of the Five-Year Plans over the last 60 years and directed Niti Aayog to assess the drawbacks of the entire process and try and “le
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday undertook a critical review of the Five-Year Plans over the last 60 years and directed Niti Aayog to assess the drawbacks of the entire process and try and “learn from the mistakes of the past”.
The think tank’s vice-chairman, Arvind Panagariya, made a detailed presentation before the Prime Minister on the subject at a meeting of the full Niti Aayog panel convened by Mr Modi.
The Prime Minister asked Niti Aayog to prepare a vision document containing a road map for India’s development for the next 15 years to bring transformational changes. The 15-year vision document that is to replace the Five-Year Plan system once the current 12th Plan period ends on March 31, 2017, is still a work in progress. But Mr Modi said at the meeting that the time for incremental change is long over and sought a road map to lay the foundation for the country’s growth over the 21st century.
The government, he said, has “the courage and the ability to deliver transformational change for bettering the lives of the people”.
Stating that policy-makers have historically lamented constraints rather than play to strengths, he said judicious and intelligent application of India’s natural and human resources would be at the heart of the change.
Mr Modi said partnerships with the states to promote development and boost exports was not just an element of cooperative federalism but also the need of the hour. At the same time, though, Niti Aayog is still struggling to convene a meeting of its governing council, which consists of the chief ministers of all states and the PM as its head. Its last meeting was held over a year ago.
“The Prime Minister said I am a person who does experiments and I have confidence,” Mr Panagariya told reporters after the meeting.
Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said, “The Prime Minister has stressed transformational changes rather than incremental changes. He said we need to win the war of policies and chase things according to the changing world.” Asked whether the 15-year vision document would be approved by the NITI Aayog governing council, Mr Panagariya said no decision had been taken on this.
