Question : ACHIEVEMENT OF NINTH PLAN TARGET

(a) whether during the first three years of Ninth Plan only 54.3 per cent of the plan target has been met and it seems near impossible to achieve the remaining 45.7 per cent investment during 2000-2002;

(b) if so, whether the Planning Commission has expressed that it is a cause of concern for the last two years of the plan;

(c) if so, the concrete efforts being made by the Government to achieve the Ninth Plan targets;

(d) whether public sector investments during the Ninth Plan have fallen below the private sector investments; and

(e) if so, the details thereof?

MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE DEPARTMENT OF DISINVESTMENT, MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRIES OF PLANNING, STATISTICS & PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATIVE REFORMS AND PUBLIC GRIEVANCES (SHRI ARUN SHOURIE)

(a) & (b): The Mid Term Appraisal (MTA) of Ninth Plan has estimated the realised aggregate investment during the first three years of the Ninth Plan at 54.3% of the revised plan target. The MTA has expressed concern that during the last two years of the Ninth Plan (2000-2002) public investment, although expected to recover, is unlikely to attain the target. However, it is expected that the revised target of private investment would be achieved.

(c): Augmenting public investment, bringing down the fiscal deficit and rate of inflation, appropriate pricing of services and reforms in labour policy to encourage private investment are some of the measures suggested in the MTA.

(d) & (e): During the first three years of the Ninth Plan the share of public sector in aggregate investment has fallen to 27.3 percent against the plan target of 33.5 percent. The corresponding share of private sector (72.7%) has been more than the plan target (66.5%) during the same period.