The Prime Minister presides over the National Development Council (NDC), also known as the Rashtriya Vikas Parishad, which is India’s highest decision-making and deliberative body on development issues.
Has the Committee of the National Development Council been abolished?
The National Development Council (NDC) has been proposed to eliminate it. However, no resolution to repeal it has been passed to date.
Who are the members of the National Development Council?
The Prime Minister, Union Cabinet Ministers, Chief Ministers of all States or their substitutes, Union Territorial delegates, and members of the NITI Aayog make up the Council (erstwhile Planning Commission).
National Development Council
The Prime Minister presides over the National Development Council (NDC), also known as the Rashtriya Vikas Parishad, which is India’s highest decision-making and deliberative body on development issues. It was established on August 6, 1952, to reinforce and organise the nation’s efforts and resources in support of the Planning Commission’s Five Year Plans, promote unified economic policies in all compulsory fields, and assure balanced and speedy development of all parts of the country. The Prime Minister, Union Cabinet Ministers, Chief Ministers of all States or their substitutes, Union Territorial delegates, and members of the NITI Aayog make up the Council (erstwhile Planning Commission).
The National Development Council (NDC) has been proposed to eliminate it. However, no resolution to repeal it has been passed to date. The NDC has had no work assigned to it or meetings since the beginning of NITI Aayog’s Governing Council (which has essentially the same makeup and duties as the NDC). Former Prime Ministers Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh both believed that the Planning Commission had outlived its usefulness and needed reform. Prime Minister Narendra Modi abolished the Planning Commission in 2014 and established the NITI Aayog through an executive order. It is neither a statutory nor a constitutional entity.
History of National Development Council (NDC)
On November 8–9, 1952, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru presided over the first meeting. There have been 57 meetings so far. On December 27, 2012, the National Development Council convened its 57th meeting at Vidhan Bhavan in Mumbai.
Objectives of the National Development Council (NDC)
National Development Council (NDC) was established with the following goals in mind:
To strengthen and mobilise the nation’s effort and resources in support of the Plan to promote joint economic policies in all vital spheres and ensure the balanced and rapid development of all parts of the country to provide social amenities such as education, medical care, social services, and other social services to the citizens of the country to improve people’s living standards to raise per capita income.
Functions of the National Development Council (NDC)
The National Development Council’s responsibilities are as follows:
- To establish criteria for the creation of the National Plan, including an assessment of the Plan’s resources;
- To review the National Plan as formulated by the NITI Aayog; to assess the resources needed to implement the Plan and to propose steps to supplement them.
- To study major social and economic policy issues impacting national development;
- To periodically assess the Plan’s operation and recommend steps necessary to achieve the National Plan’s goals and objectives.
- To make recommendations for achieving the national Plan’s goals and objectives.
Composition of National Development Council (NDC)
The Prime Minister of India chairs the National Development Council, which includes all Union Ministers, Chief Ministers of all States, Administrators of Union Territories, and Members of the NITI Aayog. In addition, ministers of State with autonomous responsibility are also asked to participate in the Council’s deliberations.
The NDC’s 58th meeting: This event has not yet taken place.
The NDC’s 57th meeting: On December 27 2012, a meeting was held to discuss the Plan of action (2012-2017).
The NDC’s 56th meeting: On October 22, 2011, it conducted its 56th meeting to discuss the 12th Plan approach paper. Dr Manmohan Singh, India’s Prime Minister, presided over the meeting. The Dy. Chairman of the Planning Commission, Dr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia, proposed six significant problems for discussion at the NDC:
- Setting early targets for growth and other social indicators in state-level five-year plans for the Twelfth Plan era. They must be incorporated into the Twelfth Plan’s coherent national targets. Create an economic environment that encourages farmers and entrepreneurs to succeed. It will have a significant impact on the flow of investment into the State, as well as the increase of both output and employment.
- Resource mobilisation and allocation for the Plan. Because inclusive growth is dependent on the development of rural and urban infrastructure, the provision of health services, and the expansion of education and skill development, these sectors must be adequately funded. While reducing the fiscal deficit, the Centre’s Gross Budgetary Support for the Plan will be enhanced as a percentage of GDP. This will necessitate an increase in the tax revenue-to-GDP ratio as well as the elimination of non-targeted subsidies. States must strive for significantly higher revenue performance while also exercising progressive subsidy control. The GST’s early introduction would not only increase revenue for both the Centre and the States, but it would also create a single market in the country and eliminate many of the indirect tax system’s distortions. Both the federal government and the states must look into the possibility of forming a public-private partnership to help leverage limited public resources.
- Now at the state level, agriculture requires more attention and priority (e.g. exempting horticultural products entirely from the application of the APMC Act.), etc
Conclusion:
This article will learn all the details and essential information regarding the National Development Council, or “Rashtriya Vikas Parishad”. All the primary functions and responsibilities have been described and explained thoroughly above.