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NDC to okay Ninth Plan by August-end

The Ninth Plan is likely to be approved by the National Development Council by the end of August.

The Planning Commission is working out action plans based on the altered priorities of the government as stated in the national agenda of goverance and announced by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in his address to the nation on March 22, 1998.

According to informed sources in the Planning Commission, action plans on food production, social and physical infrastructure, water policy and information technology have been prepared and are currently under finalisation.

The Planning Commission has also sought the views of the states on the action plans.

These action plans are proposed to be integrated with the draft Ninth Plan approved by the Planning Commission and released on March 1, 1998.

The Planning Commission also proposes to have discussions with the states on their plans by the end of this month.

The thrust area of the altered priority would include strategy to double food production in 10 years time, expansion and improvement of social infrastructure, including drinking water, housing, education, healthcare and sanitation.

The new plan would have schemes to ensure that drinking water is made available to every settlement in five years.

The new plan would also strive to make the country a global information technology power and one of the generator and exporter of software in the world in 10 years. Optimum utilisation of national water resources would also be a priority of the plan.

The Ninth Plan is also likely to have emphasis on the housing policy so as to ensure shelter for all the poor and deprived.

The other thrusts of the Ninth Plan would be growth through generation of gainful employment and agriculture.

The other issues that are likely to figure at the NDC include devolution of financial powers to the states, transfer of Centrally sponsored schemes and changes in the Gadgil-Mukherjee formula for allocation of Central support to the states.

UNI