SPEECHES / STATEMENTS 

PM's opening remarks at Full Planning Commission meeting

September 1, 2009, New Delhi

“I have great pleasure in welcoming all of you to this first meeting of the Planning Commission since our Government took over.

The agenda for the meeting includes two important subjects. The first is an assessment of the economic situation in the country. This is relevant not only because we are starting the second term of the UPA Government but also because we are exactly at the mid point of the XI Five Year Plan. We have been through a difficult year because of the global economic downturn which is only now coming to an end with a slow return to normalcy in the months that lie ahead. The country has also seen a poor monsoon. I felt it would be useful for the Planning Commission to present its assessment of the overall economic situation to the Minister Members of the Commission.

The second item on the agenda is a presentation of the status of implementation of the Integrated Energy Policy. Energy is vital for our economic growth and this is the area where we are a deficit economy. We import over 70% of our petroleum energy needs and are also moving to a deficit position in coal. Rational energy policies are also critical for rational responses to the threat of climate change. This is a new compulsion and we need to assess whether we are on track in critical aspects of our energy policy. In our situation each energy sub-sector is the domain of a different Ministry. This has often meant a non-symmetric policy stance – the principles being adopted to determine policy in one sector are not the same as in another. The Integrated Energy Policy document that was approved by the Cabinet in December 2008 contained a number of recommendations covering different sub-sectors. I thought it would be useful for the Planning Commission to present an assessment of how these recommendations have been implemented.

I hope we can have a fruitful discussion on the agenda before us. I now request the Deputy Chairman to initiate the discussion.”