Planning Commission was a moderator, says Pronob Sen
“In the abolition of the Planning Commission, we have lost an independent voice,” National Statistical Commission Chairman Pronob Sen has said.
“The Government works in silos and the [Planning] Commission was a moderator… In inter-ministerial disputes, the Commission stepped in as it had both sides of the picture,” he said in an exclusive interview to The Hindu .
“In its absence, the silos are complete.”
The Commission’s most important function was not allocations, but checks and balances, according to Dr. Sen. “If a ministry said something, the Commission could contradict… It was an independent voice,” he said.
Dr. Sen said the fear over empowering the Finance Ministry to take on the Commission’s role of funds allocation was that it “tends to be interested in finance and deficits, not development… Its primary role of managing finances on a day-to-day basis does not let it take long-term views.”
“The Government works in silos and the [Planning] Commission was a moderator… In inter-ministerial disputes, the Commission stepped in as it had both sides of the picture,” he said in an exclusive interview to The Hindu .
“In its absence, the silos are complete.”
The Commission’s most important function was not allocations, but checks and balances, according to Dr. Sen. “If a ministry said something, the Commission could contradict… It was an independent voice,” he said.
Dr. Sen said the fear over empowering the Finance Ministry to take on the Commission’s role of funds allocation was that it “tends to be interested in finance and deficits, not development… Its primary role of managing finances on a day-to-day basis does not let it take long-term views.”
Source - The Hindu
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