Plan panel seeks NDC’s nod to lower 12th Plan annual growth target to 8%

27 Dec 2012 Evaluate

The Planning Commission is expected to seek the National Development Council’s (NDC) approval to lower the average annual growth rate to 8% for the 12th five year plan from the earlier projected 8.2% - the third revision of the growth rate for the current Plan. However, the broad thrust of the Plan would not alter.

On lowering the growth target, Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia said that planning commission’s objective is to go with the more optimistic scenario, and probably if we reflect, what we now know about the average growth instead of 8.2% then it would be better to expect it at 8%. Further, Ahluwalia said that the plan panel expects lower average growth target, due to the followed changes in the global and domestic economy since the approval of the approach paper by NDC in October last year.

During the first half of the current financial year, growth rate was 5.4%, lower than 7.3% growth recorded in the corresponding period last year. For financial year 2012-13, which is the first year of the 12th Plan, the growth rate has been estimated at 5.7-5.9%, which would be the lowest in a decade. According to the 12th Plan draft, to achieve a targeted average annual growth rate of 8.2%, the country would require around Rs 84.8 lakh crore at current prices for the Centre and states taken together.

Earlier, in the approach paper, the Commission had projected an annual average growth rate of 9%, which was lowered to 8.2% in September, keeping in view global economic worries and persistent sluggishness in domestic growth. The NDC, under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, is scheduled to meet on Dec 27 to discuss and approve the draft for the 12th Plan (2012-17). The council is the apex centre-state body and the meeting will be attended by various Cabinet Ministers and Chief Ministers.

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