By Aristotle Lyngdoh
With the closure of the Planning Commission at the national level and a new form of entity being created by the name NITI Aayog for the purpose of transforming India, a complete shift in planning mechanism is expected to take place. Our eyes are now on the State Planning Board too but much more than that, the usefulness, importance and role of SPB in connection relevant to Government’s action in development planning is indeed questionable. Ever since the creation of the Board as a think tank for government decisions and policies are whimsical in nature. In other words, the significance of a planning body has dwindled away and eroded over the years and there are numerous of reasons that led to this situation.
The first and foremost question we should ask as an analysis to the whole issue is this, is it binding for the government to accept and consider each and every advice and suggestions put forward by the Planning Board? Or how many recommendations, strategic planning that have been taken up by the Board have been implemented by the government sincerely? In the present situation the answer is ‘No’ because the Chief Minister and his cabinet alone are self sufficient for all the affairs of a small state like ours. Otherwise if they are not self sufficient, then they are not effective and competent to run the entire state. Unlike the erstwhile Planning Commission and the present NITI Aayog where the Prime Minister himself is the Chairperson of the institution and had it been that the Chief Minister of the state himself heads the Planning Board, then it will reflect some seriousness of the government with regards to planning and development.
It was only at the time of inception of the state of Meghalaya in 1972 that the Chief Minister himself was the head of the Planning Board. Subsequently the practice has deviated and continues till this day. This shows that the good intention and purpose of having a Planning Board has been diluted for the purpose of achieving political reconciliation at the cost of the state exchequer. The great wastage in a small state like ours is enormous because it involves appointing a veteran politician without any work to head the Planning Board. Such political elders are being patronized by the government thereby turning the Board into a mini government within itself where the primary business is to take care of the few permanent staffs and several co-chairmen who themselves do not know what to do and where to converge. In fact we should be ashamed of ourselves for having a designation without a meaningful job and area of influence to exercise. On the other hand, the headmen and other traditional heads are better off because they have a job to do despite tremendous disruptions and criticism.
Are we really making an effort to transform our state, our cities and towns, villages etc. or are we helping politician to remunerate themselves and live off the public exchequer. This is a serious issue. We need people now in the political sphere who can raise the matter and to streamline the planning strategy in the right direction so that no one should play games with the development of the state and the people. However, the ball is entirely on the CMs court. If he is serious about it, then the CM himself is the right person to take full responsibility and lead the Board by selecting the right people to the Board. They should include visionary, strategists, experts from various fields, etc. But as it appears today the Planning Board is not different from a District Council which is an alternative for the failed MLA candidates. The State Planning Board too has become a shelter for the ‘failed to be’ CM candidate.
In the last few years we have witnessed different projects and programmes initiated and implement by the government and some of them have even wound up. None of these programmes and projects have any direct or indirect relation with the State Planning Board, and for so many years the State Planning Board existed without any proper function with sporadic meetings here and there. Then what is the point and meaning of having this organization? As an observer and writer I only express what I see without any prejudice and bias. The point I am trying to make here is that Planning is essential and indispensable, and the government can outsource planning if it feels it is not competent enough to do the job; this is quite fair. But here the government is not outsourcing anything but is paying for the expense of doing nothing. Perhaps the members may have claimed TA/DA as well and a situation of this sort is known as counterfeit planning.
Mukul Sangma was optimistic when he said that he is not interested in contesting the Tura Lok Sabha bye election against the sympathy wave of Late PA Sangma. But that should not be the case. As a true representative of the people the CM can become MP, Union Minister even Prime Minister and this is the expectation and wish of the people who support and repose faith on the leader. So why can’t he be the boss of the Planning Board? These are issues that every learned person of Meghalaya should ask. So why is it that not a single MLA dares to point out this flaw and question the role of the State Planning Board?
What is wrong with the Planning Commission? Does it need to be dismantled? Yes it does and to dismantle an institution of this nature requires a certain level of intellectual and visionary capacity? As of today if this institution is dismantled, the power and position wielded by the experts and intellectuals who have been feeding off the Board and taken shelter in it will see the end of the highly compensated advisory career in a single stroke. How pathetic it is for us to cherish and boast of a State Planning Board of this nature which has nothing to show as its achievement over several decades.
Be it NITI Aayog or State Planning Board, what should be an ideal nature of these institutions in order to function effectively to address the issues related to planning and implementation? The primary advantage and objective to have these institutions is to make each and every department functionaries and employees accountable and answerable. As government servants, they may attend Assembly sessions but cannot take part in the discussion and deliberation, but in the Planning Board meetings this is possible and meaningfully addresses the erring and unproductive official. But this can only happen if the Chief Minister or Prime Minister himself is the head of the institution and has the responsibility to lead not only administrative governance from the front but planning and monitoring governance as well by pushing each and everyone towards accountability and productivity.
In any case the State Planning Board has long been a white elephant which a state like Meghalaya can ill afford. After having passed a deficit budget of over Rs 1000 crore recently the Mukul Sangma Government ought to tighten its belt and cut down expenses instead of pretending that all is well. In fact so much is expected from Mukul Sangma since he runs a government which is in the majority and need not appease his coalition partners. But he is proving to be the same as his predecessors and is continuing with the status quo of carrying on with failed institutions like the Planning Board, the MCCL and the MeECL without any attempt to privatise them. Just pumping money into dead projects is not going to improve their performance. This is a key lesson which all governments should learn. But will they ever take decisions unless pushed to a corner?