10th Plan target of 8% growth not possible: PM

Projecting a 7-8% growth in the next two years, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today asked states to chalk out ambitious plans to double farm production, which has been a drag in GDP growth.

"The growth target for the 10th Plan was set at 8.1%. The mid-term appraisal shows that it has been averaging 6.5% in the past three years," Singh said, adding the UPA government aims to achieve 7.8% growth in the last two years of the 10th Plan.

In an apparent attack on the NDA government, Singh told the National Development Council meeting that "even if we achieve this acceleration, we cannot achieve the original 10th Plan target of 8% over the plan period as a whole."

Noting that the performance of agriculture has been disturbing in recent years, the Prime Minister said: "We must have the ambition to double our agriculture production in ten years.. I would urge the chief ministers to consider how the centre and states can co-operate in this area."