New Plan body should clear the mess in policy making: Sinha

A new body proposed to replace Planning Commission should help the government "clear the mess" in policy making, senior BJP leader and former finance minister Yashwant Sinha said today.
"I hope that the revamped Planning Commission will help government to develop a system to identify the issue, force government to think about the issue and formulate policies on those issues which will clear the mess in policymaking," he said.
In his address at the G Ramachandran Memorial lecture, Sinha recalled that he had earlier as Chairman of a Standing Committee on Finance suggested revamp of the Commission, and a 'drastic reduction' in centrally sponsored schemes.

"The Planning Commission has been mercifully abolished," he said.
Policymaking was marred by delays, like the insurance sector reforms initiated by him in 1998, besides lobbies' infleunce, Sinha said.
However, today's policymaking was 'more participatory' in nature than in the 1960s and 70s with the stakeholders being the civil servants, government, Parliament, media and chambers of commerce, he added.
Referring to the Indo-US nuclear deal inked by the previous UPA regime, he said not a single reactor has been received by the country so far in the wake of nuclear liability law but argued against 'any compromise,' saying it will be 'counter-productive.'

On the Goods and Services Taxes (GST) rollout, he said there were 'indications' that the government could introduce it in the ongoing session itself and that Centre was keen to work out ways that will satisfy all states.