Planning commission increases target to 9.5% in the last year of the 11th Plan. |
The draft approach paper to the Eleventh Plan (2007-12) has targeted a GDP growth rate of 8.5 per cent and identified agriculture as an area that needs special attention. |
Although the targeted GDP growth over the entire Plan period is 8.5 per cent, the paper has hiked the figure in the last year of the Eleventh Plan (2011-12) to 9.5 per cent. The approach has been adopted in order to match the growth rate achieved by China and South Korea earlier. |
The paper has warned that easy options are no longer possible to achieve growth targets. The government needs to take difficult decisions to achieve desired results for inclusive growth. Special emphasis is needed on agriculture, the social sector and manufacturing, to achieve the same. |
"Great emphasis has been laid in the draft approach paper to revive agricultural growth. A 12 per cent growth rate target has been fixed for manufacturing," a Planning Commission official said. |
The paper has earmarked regaining agricultural dynamism as a major challenge to the country's growth. It states, "A second green revolution is urgently needed to raise the growth rate of agricultural GDP to around 4 per cent." |
The paper lists the major challenges that the country must overcome in order to achieve growth. Some of these are, provision of essential public services to the poor, increasing manufacturing competitiveness, developing human resources, protecting the environment, improving rehabilitation and resettlement practices and improving governance. |
It states further that, "Special attention must be given to primitive tribal groups, adolescent girls and children in the age group between zero to three years." |
The draft approach paper also places stress on inclusive growth. It aims at bridging the divide between the rich and the poor, urban and rural India and addressing the problem of regional backwardness. |
Bringing scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, other backward castes and minorities into the mainstream is another focus area. "Another important divide which compels immediate attention is gender discrimination," the paper adds. |