A 15-year vision document will replace India's long serving Five-Year Plan when the latter comes to an end in March 2017, reported the Times of India. The National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog's new vision will include sustainable development goals, alongside the social and economic goals of the past plans.
The country's internal security and defence too will be a part of the new vision promoted by the BJP-led government, added the Mint. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given his assent and a draft will be submitted to him by May-end, an official source confirmed to the daily.
The inclusion of sustainable development goals in the 15-year road map is in line with the U.N.'s target of achieving the same by 2030 for its member countries. The identified 16 goals and 169 sub-targets are not only sustainable, but have a larger role to play in India, said N.C. Saxena, former member of the Planning Commission (predecessor to NITI Aayog).
A vision or a plan to see these targets implemented with adequate resources, therefore to a certain extent becomes a "mandatory part to the NITI Aayog's 15-year development plan," he told the Mint.
To channelise finances to these long term targets, which have a wider impact, the government has broken down the 15-year road map into a seven year strategy of "National Development Agenda" (NDA). Further, the NDA will be reviewed every three years, said TOI. The first of the vision's appraisal is consciously slotted for 2019-20 as both India's Finance Commission lay down a fiscal roadmap for the country and the BJP-led government goes to poll seeking a second term.
The business daily noted that the "NDA" will chart out the schemes programmes and strategies to achieve the long-term vision, while the Aayog will create a dashboard for monitoring, evaluation and review.
India is currently in its 12th Five Year Plan period, which will end in March 2017.
