Plan panel fixes states' consultation dates

The Planning Commission's regional consultation road shows for the finalisation of the 11th Plan (2007-12) have gained momentum with the consultation dates being fixed.

"The Plan panel will be holding discussions with north eastern states in Shillong on July 8, with the eastern states in Calcutta on July 17 and with the southern states in Thiruvananthapuram on July 21," a Planning Commission official told Business Standard.

The consultations with the chief ministers of Bihar, Orissa, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Chattisgarh will take place in Kolkata.

The meeting with the North East Council states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim will be held in Shillong. "

The consultations with Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Pondicherry and Lakshwadeep will be held in Thiruvananthapuram," the official added.

Such regional consultation marks a sharp departure from past practice.

The road shows with chief ministers of the western and northern regions have already been held. The regional discussions, which were slated to be completed by the first week of July, will now be completed by the third week.

Based on the inputs of the states, the Planning Commission will make suitable modifications in the approach paper, which will then be tabled before the full Plan panel headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The draft approach paper already had the broad concurrence of the Prime Minister.

The full Planning Commission meeting and the National Development Council meeting are expected to be held in August.

The northern states of Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Uttaranchal and Uttar Pradesh have said that to improve the GDP growth rate from seven to 8.5 per cent, policy initiatives have to be taken up by the Centre.

The draft approach paper to the Eleventh Plan wants the guaranteed rate of returns for central power sector undertakings to be lowered to reduce the cost of power and augment the resources of state utilities.

The panel has also set an agricultural growth rate of 4 per cent for the 11th Plan period.