New Delhi: Several important chief
ministers skipped the regional consultations organised by the
Planning Commission to prepare the `Approach` paper to the
12th Plan (2012-17) that seeks to raise India`s economic
growth to 9-9.5 per cent.
During five separate consultations of states from
Northern, Eastern, Southern, Western and Northeastern regions,
as many as 11 chief ministers did not turn up to participate
in the consultation process for drafting the policy document.
The chief ministers, who did not attend the consultations
include Mayawati, Mamata Banerjee, Jayalalithaa, Narendra
Modi, Raman Singh and Oommen Chandy, sources said.
The Plan panel got good response from the Northeastern
states with all eight chief ministers participating in the
discussion for finalising the `Approach` paper.
The paper provides a broad framework of the government
policy to be pursued in the five-year period to achieve the
desired growth rate.
The Northeastern region consist of Assam, Nagaland,
Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Tripura, Nagaland, Sikkim and
Manipur.
Following completion of the regional consultations with
states on the document, the Commission will come out with the
`Approach` paper by the end of this month.
"The Planning Commission is now in the final stages of
preparing the `Approach` paper and it would be ready by the
end of this month", Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek
Singh Ahluwalia told reporters today after the regional meet
at Guwahati.
Since the Parliament`s Monsoon session is scheduled from
August 1 to September 8, the document would be placed before
the full Planning Commission headed by the Prime Minister
before that, a source privy to the development said.
It is expected to be placed before the country`s highest
policy making National Development Council headed by Prime
Minister and all chief ministers on its board after the
Monsoon session, he added.
PTI
