The following is
the text of Prime Minister, Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s concluding
remarks at the 50th Meeting of the National Development
Council, held here today:
"We have had
a very productive meeting today. The most productive outcome of
the meeting has been the adoption of the Tenth Five-Year Plan
document by the NDC.
I thank all of
you for your active participation, your useful remarks and suggestions,
and your unanimous endorsement of the Plan document. Let us now
move forward to implement the mandate of the Tenth Plan with determination
and in a spirit of strong -- rather stronger -- partnership between
the Centre and the States.
I also wish to
thank you for broadly endorsing the four specific proposals I
had made in my opening remarks about setting up Sub-Committees
of the NDC. Some Chief Ministers have pointed out that, in view
of the serious nature of the reform initiatives involved, there
is need to prevent delays and hence to make these Sub-Committees,
empowered Sub-Committees.
If you agree,
we shall constitute these as Empowered Sub-Committees.
Pantji has drawn
our attention to a good point in the Tenth Plan document, which
too will accelerate the implementation of reforms. It is to use
Centrally Sponsored Plan schemes to promote policy and institutional
reforms by linking the flow of funds to implementation of such
mutually agreed reforms. We have already begun such initiatives
in crucial sectors like irrigation, power, urban infrastructure,
etc. I would like more areas to be brought under reform-based
incentives.
Deputy Chairman,
after a very lucid presentation, has remarked that, it is necessary
for the various Central Ministries to prepare a detailed list
of actions that need to be taken both in terms of policies and
programmes. He has also stressed the need for these to be undertaken
on a time-bound manner in consultation with the States. Some of
the issues that delay project implementation are: environment
and forest clearances; absence of clear norms for resettlement
of project-displaced people; and complex and long-drawn procedures
for land acquisition.
I endorse this. I
would like a Priority Agenda of Action for the coming year to
be drawn up, taking into account the specific directions contained
in the Tenth Plan document.
The time-bound
implementation of this Agenda would be monitored by the Cabinet
Committee on Economic Reforms and facilitated by the Committee
of Secretaries.
Several Chief
Ministers have forcefully observed that we must, without further
delay, evolve a national consensus on certain critical areas of
reforms for speeding up investment and growth. Shri Chandrababu
Naidu mentioned Labour Reforms. Dr. Jayalalithaa Ji mentioned
the need for a Minimum Agenda for Fiscal Reforms. Shri Digvijay
Singhji called for changes in environment and forest laws. Other
Chief Ministers, too, have raised a few pertinent and pressing
developmental issues.
Some of these
issues are contentious. And speedy progress is possible if we
build broad consensus. I propose to continue consulting the Chief
Ministers with a view to strengthening a common understanding
on these important issues.
With these words,
I once again thank all of you for making this Golden Jubilee meeting
of the NDC an important landmark in India’s history of planned
development."
