PLAN 2LST

The Indian Prime Minister said that the country can
expect a strong rebound in agriculture production, with a
normal monsoon this year.
Severe contraction in farm production in the third
quarter of this fiscal has pulled down economic growth to just
six per cent from 7.2 per cent in the second quarter.
Singh said despite being hit by global crisis of
exceptional severity, "we were able to maintain a growth rate
averaging nearly 7 per cent in the last two years."
Indian economic growth declined to 6.7 per cent last
fiscal, after expanding by nine per cent in the three previous
years, as a result of the global financial crisis.
However, stimulus provided by the government raised the
growth estimates to 7.2 per cent this fiscal.
The Prime Minister said the mid-term appraisal of the
11th Plan brings out deficiencies in implementation of the
schemes and these deficiencies need to be removed.
"Our focus must shift from making demand for more
resources to expand schemes to undertaking serious review of
their effectiveness in improving the implementation on the
ground," Singh said.
Indian Home Minister P Chidambaram, Railway Minister
Mamata Banerjee and Transport Minister Kamal Nath could not
attend the meeting. PTI