Govt launches website to get feedback on 12th Plan

In a bid to make 12th Five Year Plan (2012-17) more inclusive and effective, the Plan panel today launched a web portal to get public feedback on the 'Approach Paper to 12th Plan'.

Before unveiling any five year Plan, the Plan panel prepares an approach paper, which lays out the major targets, the key challenges in meeting them, and the broad approach that must be followed to achieve the stated objectives.

Thus the feedback provided by the general public would help the panel make more effective approach paper for the next five year plan.

"This website would enable the general people give their views on how should we go about the next five year Plan," Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia told reporter at the launch of the website.

He said, "This initiative would help those people who are kept out of the Plan formulation process, to give their valuable views."

This is probably the first time the Planning Commission would invite feedback of commoners for formulation of any five year Plan, an official said, adding that by the end of this month, a more dynamic website would be launched to make it more interactive.

In the present form, the views uploaded would be available to the concerned officials only. But after launching the dynamic version of this website later this month, one can see his as well as others views on the subject.

Once the approach paper is ready, it would be approved by the Union Cabinet and the National Development Council which includes all Chief Ministers of states.

Ahluwalia said that the approach paper for the next five year Plan would be ready in the first half of next year (2011).