 "Future tense, PlanCom goes with routine work")
The Commission awaits a new deputy chairman and members but little has changed in its working, barring occasional water-cooler talk of a smaller role after the attached Programme Evaluation Office proposed winding up its budgetary allocation function.
Officials said nothing of the sort had happened and routine work was on smoothly for more than a month. Advisors and directors are preparing their suggestions for sector allocations of Plan expenditure in the Budget for 2014-15, expected to be presented on July 10.
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A Press Trust of India report said the Commission had suggested a two per cent increase in the Plan outlay for 2014-15 over the interim Budget estimate of Rs 5.55 lakh crore, the same as in the Budget for 2013-14.
The Commission has about 30 senior advisors, some of whom hold the rank of joint secretary in the Union government, an equal number of joint or deputy advisors and a host of directors and consultants. And Sindhushree Khullar, secretary, Planning Commission.
After many years, the ministry of planning has a minister of state with independent charge in Rao Inderjit Singh. This has also led to talk of a reduced role for the Commission but officials said the ministry of planning and the Planning Commission were two different agencies.
The Commission suggests Plan allocations for each ministry every year and the final funds are allocated by the finance ministry. Officials said this year's discussions with central ministries were conducted by the secretary, in consultation with finance ministry officials.
"Much of the discussions for Plan allocation of central ministries had already taken place during the interim Budget and only additional allocations have to be considered now. This can be done by the secretary and finance ministry officials," a senior Commission official, who did not wish to be named, said.
He said all major Budget announcements were being discussed with the Commission, as was the practice.
Another important piece of work for the Commission, preparing annual Plan allocation for states, is also going on in tandem. Officials said the secretary had directed all divisions to finalise documents for annual state Plans, though dates for meetings with chief ministers had not been decided yet.
Another official who did not wish to be named said work was also on for the mid-term appraisal of the Twelfth Five-Year Plan that runs from 2012 to 2017, and would be completed by the middle of the current financial year. "We have prepared the analysis for each sector in the mid-term appraisal and are just waiting for a nod from the authorities before compiling them for Cabinet approval," the official said.
The Commission is also critically examining the programmes of the United Progressive Alliance government and trying to tweak these to the priorities of the National Democratic Alliance. Commission officials are around when presentations are made to Prime Minister Modi by various departments and ministries. "Apart from Nripendra Misra, principal secretary to the prime minister, and Cabinet Secretary Ajit Seth, it is only the planning secretary who has participated in all these meetings," a third official who did not wish to be named said. He added the Commission was being regularly consulted by the prime minister's office on big policy decisions.
In the past month, meetings have been held within the Commission on the slow progress of the integrated action plan for Naxal-affected districts, construction of a golden quadrilateral of bullet trains, as promised in the Bharatiya Janata Party's election manifesto, and a review of labour laws and industrial relations. "It is not that work has stopped in the Commission in the absence of a deputy chairman and members. For us, it is 'business as usual'," the official said.
STATUS UNKNOWN
Five initiatives that the Commission is carrying out as it awaits a regular deputy chairman
- Giving suggestions on annual Plan allocations of each ministry and department for Budget 2014-15
- Sectoral review for mid-term appraisal of the 12th Five-Year Plan
- Holding meetings on programmes and schemes to bring them in sync with the new government's priorities
- Preparing the blueprint for annual plan discussion with state governments expected to start after March
- Being regularly consulted by the Prime Minister's Office on key policy matters