NEW DELHI: The Government has decided to convene the National Development Council (NDC) meeting soon after Assembly elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh in December to approve the 12th Five Year Plan (2012-13) which aims for an average annual growth to 8.2 per cent.
“The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has decided to call the NDC on December 29. The main agenda of the meeting will be to approve the 12th Plan”, sources said.
The meeting is being called after state Assembly elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, with a view to prevent BJP chief ministers Narendra Modi and Prem Kumar Dhumal to use it as a political platform.
As per the election schedule, counting of votes in the two states will be has be held on December 20 and whole process is likely to be completed by the third week of the month.
Earlier this month on October 4, the Union Cabinet had approved the 12th Plan document after it was cleared by the full Planning Commission headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on September 15.
The document will now be placed before the country’s apex policy making body for the final approval.
The NDC, headed by the Prime Minister with all Chief Ministers and Cabinet Ministers on board, is the final authority to approve the five-year long policy document.
In view of the ongoing global problems, the average annual growth target for the 12th Plan has been scaled down to 8.2 per cent from 9 per cent envisaged in the Approach Paper to the 12th Plan.
During the 11th Plan (2007-12), India has recorded an average economic growth rate of 7.9 per cent. This, however, is lower than the 9 per cent targetted in 11th Plan.
The total plan size has been estimated at Rs 47.7 lakh crore, 135 per cent more that for the 11th Plan (2007-12). (AGENCIES)
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