Revamping of Planning Commission Panel

As of now, Modi is firmly in the saddle in his new job of ruling the country. Wherever he finds nooks, he is putting his best efforts either to change or alter the same. The latest one is related to his government’s dictum to revamp the Planning Commission panel with a new fruitful structure.  On last Sunday, Modi and his NDA government decided to bury the present structure of the Planning Commission before 26^th January, 2015.  Most of the non-congress chief ministers have vehemently supported this school of thought.  Barring the Congress led states and the Bihar government controlled by Nitish Kumar, the spontaneous support of  all other chief ministers  for this  strategical political decision will provide Modi an enough elbow to implement this revamping proposal.

The Prime Minister, as per his nature, to consult each and everyone before making any new decision of important dimension for the benevolence of the country and its people, discussed this sensitive issue of the futuristic role of the Planning Commission panel with the chief ministers and then announced the outcome to replace the same with a new entity. Of course, he will be formally announcing this political issue related to governance in his speech on the ensuing Republic Day.  He emphatically expressed that time has come for a new approach of “bottom to top” revamping the top down approach. In this new approach, the states will be given more dominating roles to pursue their cases with more thrust and vigor.  This formula is basically to implement the federalism culture and think for a more “Team India” concept.  Despite the strong protests bestowed upon by the Congress chief ministers, Modi had cited  his predecessor Manmohan Singh’s views in this respect.  Based on Singh’s rich experience of holding the post of Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission, Modi says, “Singh is very clear that the role of the Planning Commission is very much limited in the post-reforms period as they lack the vision of futuristic growth.”  Modi says that the Planning Commission must reinvent themselves to remain more vibrant and show effectiveness in discharging their responsibilities in the present days scenario.

Of course, Jaitley has informed the media that there is no clear cut deadline to revamp, but there is news from the inner circle of the government that the new entity will be in place within a couple of weeks.  This new structure of the Planning Commission will be represented by a few chief ministers, central ministers and experts.

Apart from this issue of the Planning Commission, Modi has been pondering to revamp many unwanted rules, which are difficult to enforce.  In many of his recent election campaigns, he narrated that it is an ideal phenomenon to replace ten unwanted rules and simplify the same by a one prolific and workable rule.  Not only, it will enfetter the common public, but also the same will reduce the tenacity of corruption, mass evasion of legislations and misusage of various meaningless and obstinate rules. The proposal of an anti-smoking rule is a glaring example. The government is considering to reduce the sales of cigarettes by controlling the loose cigarette sales in the retail outlet and also to increase the age limit permitted to smoke. How far it is justified to control and monitor this proposition to reduce the smoking, which is no doubt is injurious to health, even a boy of average sense and intelligence will doubt and smile. So, it will not be a wise proposal  and it is advisable  not to implement this type of rule. 

Considering the coffer’s position of the central government and dishevel condition of the financial statistics of the various states and the country as a whole, Modi has to take these types of  unpleasant decisions and at times, he may have to sacrifice his popularity. It is but natural that he has to stop these unproductive activities, which are direction less, not yielding productive results and wasting  his minister’s precious time and resources. The rules are framed for the purpose of good governance and expedite and increase the effectiveness of governing the people, but if the same rules become detrimental, the productive results will be nil and counter effective. So, taking this decision to bury the panel of the Planning Commission is a laudable and attractive one, considering the fact that many more reforms of this nature are going to be announced by Modi’s government in the near and distant future.