New Delhi: A lean eight-member think-tank may replace the Planning Commission and it will include top economists, a social activist and a scientist.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi may meet his predecessor Manmohan Singh before a new look planning commission is announced in 15-20 days, sources say.
The think-tank is likely to have a chairman and seven members. Four of these members will be permanent. The rest of the old panel, sources say, will be absorbed into government departments.
The new-look commission has its first task cut out; the government has decided to forward the issues regarding royalty and pricing of minerals, and whether they should be auctioned.
The Prime Minister had announced the end of the Planning Commission in his Independence Day speech last Friday.Â
Earlier this week, he invited people’s feedback on what next. “Inviting you to share your ideas on what shape the new Institution to replace the Planning Commission can take,” he tweeted.
Those who want to share their ideas have been asked to log on to MyGov, an interactive website, till the 25th of this month to submit a “Name, Logo and Tagline for this new Institution”. The website promises “attractive prizes” for the winning entry that will be acknowledged by the PM on social media.
India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru set up and chaired the Planning Commission in 1950 to map out a development path for the country’s agrarian economy.
Modi believes it is a vestige of India’s early attempt to mimic the Soviet command economy. “Times have changed since the Planning Commission was created,” he said.
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