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APPROACH TO THE 10TH
PLAN, 2002-‘07
INTRODUCTION
:
The 10th
Plan of Nagaland was formulated at a period of the
State’s history when
ther e is a mood for change and an air of optimism
among the people in the State ushered in by the
peace process. Within the Government also, a new
resolve and will is emerging. The Plan is also
being formulated at the commencement of a new
century and a millennium dominated by technologies
that portend far reaching consequences for the
social, economic and the political structures of
man. Despite the current decelerating phase of the
global economy, the world over, there is an air of
expectation and hope. The expectation is
especially high among the underdeveloped world as
Information Technology makes it seem as if global
equalization is possible. At such a juncture,
there is a need to induce radical changes in the
planning and development processes in the State
with the objective of accelerating the development
of the State. The State’s Development Plan has
to be formulated with an economic strategy and has
to depart from the stereotyped approaches of the
past.
The
changed approach to the planning process has
further become a necessity due to emerging global
trends. Liberalization and the ascendancy of the
market economy have become the primary economic
process and all economies have to be in tune with
the changed environment. In such a process, it is
no more valid to view the planning and development
process as the sole responsibility of the
Government. The basic themes being privatization
and democratization, the methodology for
development therefore requires to be centered
around public participation. Thus, the 10th
Plan will have to be based on different strategies
and approaches as compared to past plans.
THE
PLANNING PROCESS : A REVIEW
Much has been achieved in the State
in the 37 years of Statehood as is evident from
comparison of basic statistics of Nagaland in 1963
and 2000. But the achievements require to be
 now
consolidated to provide a take off for economic
growth commensurate with the demands of the
present situation. Infrastructure projects, per
se, cannot accelerate economic growth. It is only
a means towards achieving growth and not an end in
itself. The infrastructure created over the past
four decades needs to be optimally utilized and
exploited. The approach will also require to be
designed to change not only the expectations of
the people but also their visions.
The basic strategy and approach till
the 9th Plan had been to provide for
the basic infrastructure needs of the people such
as roads, water supply, power supply, schools,
hospitals etc. We have been largely successful and
a large part of the infrastructure is now in
place. While the quality of infrastructure such as
roads and services such as education, health
leaves much to be desired, the building of
infrastructure is not sufficient. It is supposed
to provide the platform and act as a springboard
for economic take off.
Up to the 9th Plan the
planning process consisted of the Departments
drawing up individual Plan documents which were
compiled in the Planning Department and submitted
to the Planning Commission. There was no overall
vision or a clear economic agenda. The Plans were
essentially schematic programmes of the
Departments which was further based on the concept
that the Government was the sole mechanism and
provider for all the development needs of the
people. Without a clear economic agenda, the
Planning process had therefore, become mechanical
and of late reduced to a mere exercise of resource
management or a fiscal balancing act. The shift in
the Planning Commission’s policies of not holding
Sectoral Plan discussions had further added to
this deterioration.
In such a backdrop, the plans of the
Departments were also mainly bureaucratic
oriented. The programmes of the Departments were
concentrated in expanding the Departmental
activities in the form of opening of more offices,
creation of posts, construction of functional and
non-functional buildings, purchase of vehicles
etc. It has been a process of creating a huge
monolithic bureaucracy, whose upkeep and
sustenance today absorbs almost all the energies
of the Government. The 10th Plan
requires to correct this negative process which is
not in tune with the requirements of the times or
the interests of the people.
GUIDING
PRINCIPLES FOR THE 10TH PLAN
In the
light of the scenario elaborated above and the
resource issues which are discussed in Chapter –
III, the following critical areas require to be
adopted as guiding principles in our approach to
the 10th Plan as also for future
Planning perspectives.
1.
Tangible and sustainable economic growth,
leading to productivity and increased income
generation that leading to improving the
quality of life of the people, shall have to be
the focus of the 10th Plan. Schemes and
programmes which do not match this objective shall
have to be reviewed, recast or even dropped.
2.
Rationalization and rightsizing of
Government while simultaneously providing for
alternatives to the reduced opportunities of
Government employment.
3.
Reduce
the scope for expansion of Government or
bureaucratic infrastructure and introduce measures
of sharing of resources and manpower through a co-ordinated
approach, as against the
present
trends of compartmentalization and duplication of
activities.
4.
Change in the development perspectives of
the Departments to share responsibilities and
involve the people/private sector in achieving the
set goals of the 10th Plan.
5.
Disinvestment and privatization of
Government ventures ranging from public
undertakings to Government farms.
6.
Privatization and democratization/decentralization
of public utilities and services such as Water
Supply, Power Supply and Transport Services.
7.
Gradual shift of responsibility from the
Government to the people in sectors such as
Education and Health also need to form part of the
10th Plan process. The recent concept
of Commoditization would be an appropriate
approach in this gradual shift of responsibilities
to the people.
8.
Projectised approach to schemes and plans
of the Departments.
9.
Departments to justify their existence.
Their budgets and schemes should be explainable in
terms of the contribution to the overall economic
growth of the State either in quantified terms or
in terms of social cost benefit analysis. The
development process has to create a positive sense
in the government and the departments will have to
be proactive in expanding and building up the
Revenue base of the State.
BASIC
APPROACH TO THE TENTH PLAN.
We have to approach the 10th
plan with an agenda for economic growth. Economic
growth has to be measured primarily in terms of
productivity in all sectors of activity. In
conjunction with the strategy adopted by the
Planning Commission, it is intended that the 10th
Plan be approached with increase in per capita
income as the basic yardstick along with increase
in non-Government employment, particularly among
the educated sections, thus leading to enhancement
in the quantity and quality of output in all
sectors.
The per
capita income of Nagaland for the year 2000-2001
is estimated at Rs.13,367/- based on the estimated
Gross State Domestic Product ( GSDP ) of
Rs.2587.98 crores. We have to work out a strategy
by which to double the per capita income in the 10th
Plan.
The
approach in very simple terms is to undertake a
microscopic review of the Agriculture Sector and
pay detailed attention to all aspects of
increasing productivity. It is felt that
increasing or doubling the per capita income of
the State may be possible through the Agriculture
Sector for the following reasons.
1. The
estimated SDP of Nagaland at current price by
industry of origin during 2001 comes to Rs.2587.98
crores
2. The
contribution of the primary or Agriculture sector
is Rs.703.33 crores or 27.18%.
3. The
secondary or the Industrial Sector stands at
Rs.542.79 crores accounting for 20.97 % of the
total
4.
The tertiary sector or the Services Sector
contributes Rs.1341.86 crores or 51.85%.
The
fundamental issue is that going by the
distribution of main workers in Nagaland,
cultivators account for 72.65% of the total main
workers of Nagaland. This seen in the light of
the Sectoral contribution to the SDP means that
72.65% workers of Nagaland contribute only 27.18%
to the Gross State Domestic Product. The other
72.82% of the GSDP is generated by 27.35% of the
population. This is also comprised to a large
extent by salaried State Government employees. The
figures as per the 2001 census figures will
require to be firmed up but it is anticipated that
the percentage of cultivators among the main
workers in Nagaland will remain almost unchanged.
Land and
agriculture remain the basic resource of the State
for the sustenance of the people and the economy
since neither trade, commerce or industry seem to
be in a position to take off as major economic
activities in the near future. It is therefore
almost imperative that the Agriculture and Allied
Sector form the core of our plan activities. The
approach should also be oriented towards
production and productivity. It should also be our
endeavor that in the current Plan we promote only
a few crops for production on an economic scale.
Forest
comprise over 56 % of our surface area. The
potentials for utilizing the forest resource in a
scientific and sustainable manner without
affecting our ecology, environment nor
destabilizing the resources for future generation
will also have to be one of our focal points of
Planning.
STRATEGIES IN BRIEF:
1) Promote
schemes and activities in identified sectors to
stimulate economic activity targeted to raise the
level of GSDP and Per Capita income of the people.
2) Identify
and concentrate on generating trade, commerce and
exports from and through the State.
3) Enhance
generation of personal income and increase
purchasing power to create a situation which
induces increased consumption leading to demands
and expansion of domestic market
4)
Increase the revenue base of the State
through productivity and a buoyant market economy.
5) Increase
profitability of entrepreneurs to stimulate
further investments in production sectors.
6) Rationalization
and involvement of Market Finance for investment
in ventures of commercial nature and economic
scale production.
7) Projectisation
and investment based approach to Departmental
schemes categorized into
a) Viable
b)
Partly viable
c) Non-viable
infrastructure and social ventures
8) Make
optimum use of the Planning Commission Project
Preparation facility and attempt to obtain as much
Externally Assisted Projects for the State
9) Restructure,
maintain and consolidate the existing
infrastructure and assets to facilitate optimum
utilization of such facilities for value added
services and production.
10)Communitise, democratize and privatize projects
and services to effect better management of the
assets of the State as also reduce the burden of
the Government.
11)Invest
Plan funds for reduction of Government expenditure
and rightsizing of Government.
12)Reduce
dependence on the Central Government for the
State’s development programmes and administrative
requirements through increase in revenue and
reduction of Government overhead expenditure.
OTHER DIMENSIONS AND STRATEGIES
FOR PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT
1.
IMAGINE NAGALAND : The “Imagine Nagaland”
exercise sponsored by the UNICEF has opened up a
very wide scope of thinking in Nagaland. Not only
has it enlarged the vision of the people within
the Government but it has also shown the
opportunities available to expand the scope of
development activities in Nagaland. Many
development concepts on a projectised approach
have emerged through this exercise. It should be
the endeavor of all Departments to fit this into
the scope of the 10th Plan.
2.
COMMUNITISATION : The process of
privatization is yet to take shape in the State.
An abrupt shift of institutions from the
Government sector to the private may not be
possible or desirable. What is, however, important
is to ensure public involvement in the schemes and
programmes of the Government. The community cannot
be by-standers in the process of development. The
management of Government institutions and services
of Education and Health care have been
Communitized. The process of communitisation of
Water Supply, Electricity are in the Final Stage
of Completion
3.
STREAMLINING CENTRALLY SPONSORED SCHEMES :
There are numerous Centrally Sponsored schemes
being implemented in the State. Some of the
schemes have not only lost their relevance to the
State and therefore the economic viability in
terms of any impact on the state economy but some
have also become a burden for implementation. We
need to scrutinize all the CSS in operation in the
State and consider shelving such CSS schemes which
are redundant. We also have to be selective and
implement only those programmes which are
economically relevant in our present context. We
should also preferably implement only such schemes
which are funded 100 % by the Centre. All the
expenditures on establishment and salaries of the
employees appointed against CSS should be
transferred to the CSS programmes that are being
continued. The Government may also allow creation
of posts sanctioned by the Centre against specific
CSS but fill the posts by re-deployment from the
existing staff and no fresh recruitment be
allowed. The post so created should also be made
co-terminus with the projects/programmes.
4.
QUANTIFICATION OF TOTAL PLAN INVESTMENTS : In
view of the envisaged constricted Aggregate Plan
resources of the Tenth Plan, it is necessary to
strictly adhere to the directives and guidelines
of the Planning Commission in regard to
quantification of resource investment. The present
practice is that the various sources of funding,
such as NCDP, CSS, Direct funding from NGOs,
Tribal development funds etc. are treated by the
Departments as a kind of subsidy and considered a
separate entity not related at all to the Plan
activities or the economic
development of the State. On the contrary, the
Central Government computes all the funds coming
to the State, irrespective of the source, as the
total sum of fund invested in development
programmes. It may be of interest to note that
the quantum of funds likely to be released to
Nagaland by different Central Ministries against
various CSS during the current Annual Plan, 2001 –
’02 is estimated at Rs.160 crore. This
amount Quantified, in terms of five years of the
10th Plan, works out to over Rs.700
crore. Henceforth all different sources of
funding should be quantified and taken as the sum
total of investment of the concerned Departments.
The Departments should remedy of the incorrect
notion that the State’s Normal Plan fund is the
only fund available with them.
5.
NON-LAPSABLE POOL OF CENTRAL RESOURCES :
The NLPCR
is another significant source of development
funding. The present practice has been to collect
schemes from the Departments and forward them as
and when they are furnished to the Government.
This should be changed. The funds under this pool
should be dovetailed into the Plan thinking and
only such schemes that are intrinsic to the set
priorities and goals set by the State should be
forwarded for consideration by the Centre. The
Centre should also be appraised to include
officers from the State Government while selecting
the schemes under the pool.
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DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING & CO-ORDINATION NAGALAND