The Hindu Business Line : `Plan panel focus on rural health, infrastructure'

THE Planning Commission will focus on deficiencies in rural infrastructure, health and education sectors and identify some critical policy correctives during the mid-term appraisal of the Tenth Plan with the objective of achieving the 8 per cent growth rate, Mr Montek Singh Ahluwalia, the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, has said.

He was delivering the 26th convocation address at the Acharya Nagarjuna University on Thursday.

He observed, "We are nowhere near the target, but our aim is to have sustained improvement in the living standards of people with high quality jobs, which can happen through healthy and educated population."

Drawing a comparison with China and other Asian nations, he said the literacy rate in India had to improve and a lot of ground needed to be covered. The dropout rate was also a matter of concern.

The 2 per cent education cess would go a long way in improving the infrastructure needed for the sector. Sarva Siksha Abhiyan would take care of the educational as well as nutritional needs of the children. He said a national health mission would be launched with focus on rural areas.

Expressing concern over the deceleration in the farm sector, with a slump in the farm sector growth rate from 3.2 per cent in the mid-nineties to 1.5 per cent at present, he said this was one of the major factors blocking the achievement of the 8 per cent GDP growth rate.

He said, "We have neglected water for irrigation and measures to restore dynamism to the agricultural sector will receive high priority in the mid-term appraisal."

In the context, he favoured contract farming with suitable changes in the existing laws to facilitate easier marketing of farm produce.

Mr Ahluwalia said roughly Rs 10,000 crore would be needed to bridge the gaps and deficiencies in the infrastructure sector and there should be private-public partnership for the purpose.

A honorary doctorate was conferred on Mr Ahluwalia by Mr Sushil Kumar Shinde, the Governor of Andhra Pradesh and the Chancellor of the university. Dr L. Venugopala Reddy, Vice-Chancellor, also spoke.

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