FILE photo: Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the BJP National Council meet in New Delhi
After announcing the end of the Planning Commission in his speech on the 68th anniversary of the country's independence, the
Prime Minister wants feedback on what next.
"Inviting you to share your ideas on what shape the new Institution to replace the Planning Commission can take," he tweeted this morning. Those whose interest is piqued can
log onto MyGov, the website that allows the government to interact with the public. You have till the 25th of this month to submit a "Name, Logo and Tagline for this new Institution", the website promises, vowing "attractive prizes" for the winning entry that will be acknowledged by the PM on social media.
The Planning Commission of late had tried to present a modern image, with a Twitter profile that promised "Faster, More Inclusive and Sustainable Growth".
(Also read: Montek Singh Ahluwalia had Sought Planning Commission Reforms, Says Kapil Sibal)But, on Friday, the PM said it's all over for the lingering vestige of India's early attempt to mimic the Soviet command economy.
"Times have changed since the Planning Commission was created," he said, adding a new institution would be set up soon as a replacement.
(Bye-Bye, Planning Commission. PM Says It's Over.)It was India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, a socialist who admired Joseph Stalin's drive to industrialize the Soviet Union, who in 1950 set up - and chaired - the Planning Commission to map out a development path for India's agrarian economy.
The collapse of Soviet communism in 1991 killed off Gosplan - as that country's State Planning Committee was known. Yet its Indian counterpart survived the ensuing economic shock and cautious market reforms that followed.
Prime Minister Modi never had a high opinion of the Planning Commission - while he was Gujarat Chief Minister, he stunned the panel last year by turning up at a meeting with a video that accused it of high-handedness.
(Read)This June, a government-backed report suggested replacing the Planning Commission with a think tank more in line with a US-style Council of Economic Advisors.