Government of India: Planning Commission

12^th Five Year Plan

The Planning Commission has started the process of preparing an Approach to the 12th Five Year Plan and is adopting a new and more consultative approach. In addition to consultations conducted across the country by organizations representing various citizens' groups e.g., women, dalits and youth, the Planning Commission has for the first time adopted consultation from interested stake holders via the Commission's web-site.

Based on an intensive process within the Commission, "Twelve Strategy Challenges" have been identified to initiate these consultations. The "strategy challenges" refer to some core areas that require new approaches to produce the desired results. These should not be viewed as chapters of the Twelfth Plan, nor the layout of the Approach Paper, which will be decided only after the consultations are complete. They are only a way of organizing thinking in critical areas.

The challenges we face are complex and overlap with each other, and could be represented in different ways. Our objective at present is a broader search for inputs into each of them, while preparing the Approach to the Plan. We expect various stakeholders to emphasize different aspects of these challenges. Some may even identify other challenges which need to be addressed, but are not adequately reflected in our list.

To give a few examples, the management of water resources is a critical area and is mentioned under the strategy challenge "Managing the Environment". There is an obvious overlap with other challenges such as Rural Transformation and Sustained Growth of Agriculture. Similarly "Social Justice", which is a critical challenge, will be met in a manner in which many of the other challenges are addressed. Therefore, if a challenge is not highlighted separately, it may be because it is wide enough to be covered by several other challenges. However, we recognize that such cross-cutting challenges must not be lost sight of and they must be adequately recognized and addressed in the Approach Document.

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Courtesy: 12thplan.gov.in