PM plans Davos-type retreat with CMs

By Alok Mukherjee

NEW DELHI, SEPT. 1. The National Development Council today unanimously approved the draft approach paper to the Tenth Five Year Plan which envisages a eight per cent annual growth in the next five years. It was also decided that the Prime Minister and all the Chief Ministers would have a Davos-type informal retreat to mull over the future of economic reforms. The two-day conclave will be held sometime in late October at Nandi Hills, Karnataka.

After the meeting, the Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, proposed that a very significant provision of self-restraint be adopted. The formulation, as read out by Mr. Vajpayee, read: ``None of us will block some other Government from doing what he is himself doing in his own Government. And that he will strive to ensure that his party will not block that Government either.'' This proposal was carried without any dissent from the Chief Ministers, who were present in good number. The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Ms. Jayalalithaa, was absent, and the Education Minister, Mr. M. Thambi Durai, represented the State.

The Prime Minister also made it clear that the informal conclave would have no formal agenda. Separately, he committed himself to convening a meeting of leaders of all political parties to work out a consensus on reforms, and that the labour and power sector reforms would be on the agenda.

Mr. Vajpayee took note of the point made by several States that the farmers required protection, particularly after the World Trade Organisation agreement. Some meetings in this regard had been held, he said and promised that protection for farmers would be worked out. He also stressed the need to ensure that the huge food stocks were used to provide nutrition. The demand for greater decentralisation of powers to and for greater devolution of financial and administrative powers to Panchayati Raj institutions was also incorporated in the final summing up.

While Mr. Vajpayee called for difficult decisions, both by the Centre and the States, the States wanted that there should be a sense of urgency to modify the Gadgil-Mukherjee formula governing the devolution of funds from the Centre.

Tamil Nadu made a special mention, calling for the intervention of the Prime Minister to ensure early release of Cauvery waters by Karnataka as otherwise the crop would wither away and could lead to starvation deaths.

* * *

Highlights

NEW DELHI, SEPT. 1. Following are the highlights of the reforms agenda laid down by the Prime Minister.

* Drastic pruning of unproductive expenditure.

* Downsizing Government.

* Reduction in non-merit subsidies.

* Re-orienting strategy to raise food production.

* Reforming and rejuvenating the power sector.

* Labour reforms on priority basis.

* Speeding up reforms in the financial sector.

* Measures to increase FDI and FFI investment.

* Elimination of harassment, corruption and red-tapism.

* Removal of deficiencies in the judicial system.

* Long-term strategies to control drought and floods.

* Need to redouble efforts to control population growth.

* More devolution of powers to Panchayati Raj.

* Need to give economic reforms a pro-poor focus. - PTI

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Front Page
Previous : Paswan, Sharad Yadav shifted
Next     : AI: Singapore Airlines pulls out