Full plan panel meets on Thursday

To be chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, it will focus on outlining a road-map for stepping up growth in  agriculture and industry, while deliberating on the Approach Paper to the 12th Plan.

“The Approach Paper is expected to highlight on strategies for stepping up broad-based growth in key segments like agriculture and industry across the country.”

The meeting will be attended by Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia, all panel members, senior cabinet ministers including Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Home Minister P Chidambaram.

A note prepared by the Planning Commission has suggested that the country will need to maintain over 4.5 per cent farm output and 12.4 per cent manufacturing growth during the 12th Plan (2012-17) to achieve 10 per cent economic growth rate during the five year period.

With adequate focus on agriculture and industrial sectors, the average growth rate in the next Plan can be raised to 10 per cent from 8.1 per cent in the current Eleventh Plan (2007-12), it suggested.