As corruption assumes centrestage in public discourse ahead of the general elections, the Planning Commission has suggested that the next regime at the Centre should concentrate on nipping graft at the institutional level by reforming government bodies.
In a note on key issues that need to be looked at while preparing a mid-term appraisal (MTA) of the 12th Five-Year Plan (2012-13 to 2016-17), officials said the commission has emphasised on the need for institutions taking steps to do correct things right from the beginning rather than catching culprits mid-way.
According to a senior official, the commission had identified governance and employment generation as the two key issues on which extra focus should be laid in the remaining Plan period and should figure in the MTA.
A recent meeting of the commission, held under Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia, discussed these issues and five others - human development, urbanisation, physical infrastructure, earth sciences, agriculture and rural development, which must be looked into by the next Commission in the remaining period of the 12th plan. These might figure in the draft MTA of the plan, the official said.
On corruption, the focus has shifted from inspection, which adds to costs, to reforming structures in institutions that reduces the need for external checks and costs.
The general refrain was that the commission should concentrate on reforms to make institutions perform, rather than focusing on anti-corruption legislations like the Lok Pal Act.
Officials said the panel might advise the government for setting up a separate ministry for employment generation. Also, a special wing would be set up in the commission to monitor employment-generation initiatives. The chapter on employment would have sub-groups like its impact on manufacturing, tourism, construction, skill development and micro-small and medium enterprises, said another official.
"We are collating the key issues that we believe will impact the country's progress in the coming years and laying out a process for conducting the MTA efficiently for the new Planning Commission to hit the ground running, a luxury we did not have when we took over," Arun Maira, Planning Commission member told Business Standard.
According to the 12th Plan document, employment in manufacturing reduced by five million during 2005-06 to 2009-10, after adding almost 12 million jobs in the first five years of this century.
Among all sectors, the big emphasis is on employment and governance, as these two currently concern citizens the most, another official explained.
Officials said the commission will prepare a basic blueprint for the MTAs a necessary backgrounder for the new Commission to appraise the progress as and when it it takes over after the general elections.
It (the blueprint) would have a special section on the performance of the 17 flagship schemes of the UPA government like MGNREGS and the Prime Minister's Gram Sadak Yojana, their performance in the first two years of the 12th Plan (2012-13 and 2013-14) as against the 11th Plan period, challenges and the way forward.
The exercise would be over by April. The Planning Commission's tenure is coterminous with the incumbent government and is expected to end by May.
As yearly growth is likely to slip below five per cent or at most reach five per cent, the MTA is also likely to revise down the target for average annual growth during the 12th Plan. The economy will have to grow over nine per cent annually in the next three years to deliver the targeted rate, even if one assumes five per cent growth in the current financial year.
The official said the Commission was also of the view that unlike the full plan where outsiders were also involved in the process of plan formulation, the MTA should largely be an internal exercise based on inputs from central ministries, state governments and also different departments within the commission itself.
The document would be around 200 pages, as against 470 pages of the 11th Plan, and divided in seven-eight key chapters, the official said.
ON PLANCOM AGENDA
- The Planning Commission identifies governance, employment as key issues to be addressed
- High-level internal meeting identifies 7-8 major sectors which needs to be addressed in the MTA
- Focuses on separate ministry for employment generation
- Special chapter in flagship programmes and their performance in blueprint
