What is composition of Planning Commission?
Q. Which of the following is/are true regarding the composition of Planning Commission?
1) Planning Commission has no state representation.
2) Planning Commission is non-statutory and non-constitutional body.- Published on 15 Mar 17a. Only 1
b. Only 2
c. Both 1 and 2
d. None of the above
ANSWER: Both 1 and 2
Planning Commission -
- Advisory Planning Board constituted in 1946, under the chairmanship of K. C. Neogi recommended establishing Planning Commission.
- It was established in March 1950 by an executive resolution of the Government of India.
- It is non-statutory and non-constitutional body.
- Supreme organ of planning for social and economic development in India is Planning Commission.
- The critics have called it as a ‘Super Cabinet’, a ‘Parallel Cabinet’, the ‘Fifth Wheel of the Coach’, an ‘Economic Cabinet’ etc.
Composition -
(a) Prime minister of India (Chairman of the commission) - He presides over the meetings of the commission.
(b) Deputy chairman (de facto executive head (i.e., full-time functional head)) -
(i) responsible for the formulation and submission of the draft Five-Year Plan to the Union Cabinet;
(ii) appointed by the Central cabinet for a fixed tenure;
(iii) enjoys the rank of a Cabinet Minister;
(iv) not a member of cabinet but is invited to attend all its meeting (without a right to vote);
(c) Some Central Ministers -
(i) appointed as part-time members;
(ii) finance minister and planning minister are the ex-officio members.
(d) 4 to 7 full-time expert members enjoying rank of a minister of state.
(e) A member-secretary senior member of IAS.
- It is completely a centre-constituted body with no state representation.
