My Columns: Without Fear and Favour

Planning Commission of India and its functions : Is there a need for replacement By Deepak Parvatiyar (A shortened version of this blog was published in www.elections.in on 27th August 2014) It was in the budget session of the parliament in 1950 that President Dr Rajendra Prasad, in his Presidential Address announced the Planning Commission would be set up. The Commission was the brain child of India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru who accepted planning to be a tool of economic rebuilding of the country and planned development as a means of raising the country's standard of living. The Idea behind the Planning Commission The immediate reasons for a Planning body then were multi-dimensional – inflationary pressures inherited from the World War, balance of payment problems, partition and the resulting influx of millions of people to the country causing deficiencies in the food supply on one hand and dislocation supplies of certain essential raw mater...

Modi’s Participatory Policies: Motives and Methods By  Deepak Parvatiyar August 26, 2014 How should one evaluate Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s initiative to involve public in decision-making?  Modi has linked it to his concept of better governance or ‘Surajya’ – “Surajya is not possible until each and every citizen will be an equal and integral part of the decision-making process.” In his election rallies, Modi had promised to ensure people’s participation in government decision-making. After assuming the mantle of the PM post-election, he launched a portal –MyGov.nic.in – to offer a platform to the citizens in the matters of governance. Inviting People’s Participation in Public Policies The portal is meant for the people to share their ideas on selected themes – Clean Ganga, Girl Child Education, Clean India, Skilled India, Digital India and Job Creation. (Many more themes are still to be added here). It also invites public participation in under...