The Planning Commission will gradually transform itself into a Systems Reforms Commission for resolving the systemic problems of the 21st Century over the next two-three years as desired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. It will restructure itself to serve three essential functions: build a larger network around its members with think tanks and opinion makers,produce thought papers at a faster pace and communicate more lucidly with polity. After Montek Singh Ahluwalia,Planning Commission Deputy Chairman,first admitted last December that the Plan panel cannot work in a silo and it was time to look within,Arun Maira,formerly with Boston Consulting Group,India,and appointed Plan panel member in the second UPA term,was assigned the task of revamping the Planning Commission. Maira,who met about 20 eminent persons including former RBI Governors,Cabinet Secretaries,Plan panel members,CEOs from India Inc and even politicians,told The Indian Express that the Prime Minister finally approved the overhaul plan over two meetings with all Planning Commission members in recent weeks. And this time,unlike in the past,it is not an ambitious restructuring plan that will be executed tomorrow. It does not make sense to adopt the frontal attack approach when we think of transforming the organisation. It has failed in the past. We will now redesign the aircraft even as we are flying it, Maira said. The Prime Minister,according to Maira,wants the Plan panel to be an essay in persuasion,not an instructor. That is to mean that the Plan panel should throw ideas and paint scenarios and not necessarily be stuck in dogmas. In the 21st Century,the Plan panel should metamorphose into a strategic thinking group and think ahead for the government. It should point out the risks and opportunities for the executive, Maira said. Right now,the Plan panel is more reactive in its approach. Options are presented,in other words,after the horse has bolted, said Maira. The Systems Reforms Commission will be putting before the country papers on critical subjects,laying out the issues and options. The role will be to identify the forces shaping the future of the country and enumerate the different options to handle them. The Plan panels approach paper to the 12th Plan (2012-17) will be guided by the new principles,said Maira. On Saturday,Plan panel members led by Ahluwalia met about a dozen people to kickstart a consultative approach towards strategizing the next Plan. The 12th Plan,Maira said,would focus on three Ps profits,people and planet,and devise a strategy to implement the framework. Profits: savings and investment rate that will propel the economy to grow at over 10 per cent a year; people: making the growth process inclusive,including people in the process of development; planet: ensuring that rapid growth is achieved in a sustainable fashion with due regard to environment.
