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10th Plan approach paper okayed

Our Bureau

NEW DELHI, Sept. 1

THE National Development Council (NDC) today gave its unanimous approval for the draft Approach Paper to the Tenth Five-Year Plan (2002-07) which sets out to achieve an eight per cent economic growth with the Prime Minister, Mr A.B. Vajpayee, consenting to convene an all-party meeting to evolve consensus on economic reforms in deference to demands of several Chief Ministers.

In his concluding remarks, the Prime Minister has asked the Plan panel to go ahead with preparing a final document setting out the concerns and other suggestions made by the State Chief Ministers at today's NDC meeting for realisation of higher GDP growt h to fulfil rising expectations of people in the wake of economic reforms and liberalisation.

The Prime Minister said that the suggestions made by various State Governments on the report of the NDC sub-committee on the criterion for allocation of funds under major rural poverty alleviation programmes and NDC sub-committee on transfer of centrally -sponsored schemes (CSS) with flexibility would be incorporated and implemented.

NDC also approved placing Uttranchal on the list of Special Category States and the Prime Minister said call for review of the criteria for grant of this status to other States such as Orissa, Chattisgarh and Jharkand should be examined. The Mid-Term App raisal of the Ninth Plan was also placed before the NDC.

The Prime Minister said the huge foodgrain stocks would be duly utilised to provide nutrition to people, besides helping in generating employment and building durable assets. He also underlined the hard decisions to be taken by both the Centre and States to realise higher economic growth and made a reference to governance aspect touched by the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu.

The Prime Minister also shared the concerns of Chief Ministers on the difficulties being faced by them in implementing the agreements of the WTO and reassured the State chiefs that these concerns would be fully addressed while formulating the Tenth Plan final document.

NDC conference sources maintained that the West Bengal Chief Minister, Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, pleaded with the Prime Minister that his concern on land reform and public distribution system had not been responded.