What is the planning commission and what are its functions?

The Planning Commission seems to have been an organisation made by the Government of India that, among several other things, established India’s Five-Year Plans.

The planning commission has subsequently been substituted in place of itself by a new organisation known as the NITI Aayog, which was created by the government of current prime minister Narendra Modi. 

Functions of the planning commission:

The following seem to be the responsibilities of the Indian Planning Commission as stated and described within the then elected parties resolution in the year 1950:

• To examine India’s economic, financial, as well as human resource management, especially the people working in technical backgrounds, and to study the possibility of supplementing specific resources that are determined to be lacking in comparison to the nation’s urgent requirements.
• To develop a strategy for the most economical as well as efficient use of the nation’s resources, be it the finance or any source of natural minerals.
• To prioritise the phases during which the programmes planned should be followed out and to suggest the distribution of resources to ensure that each step is completed on time.
• To identify the elements that limit economic success.
• Identifying the circumstances that must be developed for the planned programme’s successful implementation well within the framework of the country’s economic as well as socio-political environment.
• Determine the type of machinery necessary to ensure the effective implementation of every step of the strategy with all its features.
• To assess the progress made in the whole process of successful fulfilment of each phase of the plan regularly as well as to suggest policy and measure the changes that are considered essential for the plan’s effective execution.
• To offer important proposals regularly about specific elements that are deemed necessary in facilitating the implementation of these tasks.
• Such suggestions may be associated with existing economic circumstances within the country, regulations, initiatives, as well as development initiatives. These proposals may also be provided if the government or the federal system presents any particular kind of emergency or situation to the Commission.

Finance Commission Chairman Note:

During India’s independence, a new way of planning for the country’s development was chosen. The Planning Commission was established, which reported directly back to the Prime Minister of India. This planning commission was founded on 15 March 1950 and then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was announced the representative of the role of planning commission chairman. The Planning Commission seems to have been established without the authority or the guidelines of the Indian Constitution or the legislative system. The whole organisation seems to be an institution of the Indian Central Government.

Role of the planning commission:

The Planning Commission’s responsibility seems closely linked to the Indian constitution and all the responsibilities entrusted to the government within its Constitutional Provisions, particularly those relating to economic and social welfare. The constitution and its legislative lay State Policies and require the state to protect residents’ right to receive a sustainable livelihood as well as to prevent inequality regarding the accumulation of wealth as well as means of production. Throughout this framework, the state seems to be essential to ensure development in the overall output and equal distribution throughout the country’s diverse segments. Here, the Planning Commission develops strategies for the entire region as well as serves as a consultative planning authority at the highest level.

The Commission’s priority seems to be on optimising resources through making the best use of our scarce and limited amount of resources already available within our provinces. Instead of just increasing plan expenditures, the initiative has been taken to enhance the overall efficiency of the distributions.

Conclusion

The Indian economy seems to be rapidly transitioning from a centralised planning process toward suggestive planning and development. The Planning Commission seems primarily concerned with developing a long term economic framework for the future and deciding on national goals. It establishes industrial objectives as well as offers economic stimulation that encourages the economy to expand in a positive direction.

The Planning Commission serves an essential hand in the shaping of a sustainable system and formulation and implementation of frameworks in essential areas of human and economic development. In the rural areas, programmes such as healthcare, water supplies, rural energy demands, education have yet to be addressed and proper coordinated policy formation is yet to be done. This has resulted in various organisations trying to profit off the situation. This effective system may result in lower costs overall.