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15.2 SECRETARIAT - ECONOMIC SERVICES

A. State Planning Commission The State Planning Commission was constituted in Tamil Nadu on 25th May 1971. The main responsibilities of the Commission are: i. ii. iii. Preparation of Five Year Plan and Annual Plans based on the policies and priorities of the Government Fixing monitorable targets for key performance areas and undertake periodical monitoring of such targets Undertake evaluation studies both through the Directorate of Evaluation and Applied Research and with the help of outside agencies/ experts Monitor development indicators that influence the Human Development Index, Gender Development Index etc. at the disaggregated level and suggest appropriate interventions Monitor the Tamil Nadu economy and send quarterly reports to Government and proposed changes in policies, programmes and procedures considered necessary Undertake special studies in respect of specific growth sectors with potential for high value addition and employment and make policy recommendations to Government Study the measures required to attract higher investments, including foreign direct investments and make recommendations on simplification and rationalization of procedures Undertake appraisal of large projects/ schemes of various departments and assist the departments in the preparation of projects for external funding Coordinate activities under Decentralised District Planning and oversee the preparation of village, Block and District Plans.

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The State Planning Commission was last reconstituted on 17.09.2001 with the Chief Minister as Chairperson and Dr. M.S. Swaminathan as ViceChairman, besides a Full Time Member, 6 Part Time Members, 4 Ex-Officio Members and with a Member-Secretary. The State Planning Commission may avail itself of the services of Research Institutions and individual experts, so that the best talent in the country is utilised. Apart from the normal activities, SPC also undertakes certain specialised tasks. Some of the important activities taken up during the Ninth Plan are monitoring of State economy, preparation of Human Development Report, Decentralised Planning, preparation of Annual Plans and Five Year Plan etc.

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Tenth Plan Proposals 1. Preparation of Perspective Plan The Chief Minister setforth the following development goals for Tamil Nadu, and requested the State Planning Commission to formulate plans to achieve these goals. 1) By the year 2010, the per capita income of Tamil Nadu would be doubled. 2) By the year 2005, there would be universalisation of education until Class V, with special effort for girls and disadvantaged groups. 3) By the year 2006, Tamil Nadu will not only be the leading player in the field of IT in India, but will also become a regional gateway to Asia, home to half the humanity. 4) By the year 2008, Tamil Nadu will be the top ranking manufactured goods exporter in India and will double its export earnings, and 5) By the year 2010, all villages in Tamil Nadu will possess electricity, a trunk road, telephone and Internet connectivity, a school, clean water and sanitation, a village health worker, and local self-government. The aim is to provide opportunities for a healthy and productive life for all and to make Tamil Nadu the best State in the country. Also, the Chief Minister's 15 Point Programme, is the road map for development in the Tenth Plan and beyond. Towards this, Tamil Nadus Tenth Five Year Plan sets out monitorable targets in the areas of poverty reduction, employment, education, health and gender gaps. Within this framework, it is proposed to prepare a Perspective Plan 2020 for Tamil Nadu. For the formulation of Perspective Plan 2020, planning exercise is needed to make a careful assessment of the States resources, to focus attention on its problems, to accelerate the pace of development and to formulate plans for optimum exploitation of its development possibilities etc. It is proposed to prepare the Perspective Plan by constituting Core Groups under Members of the State Planning Commission, Secretaries to Government etc, involving experts from other States and at National level, NGOs, etc. and engaging leading institutions for consultancy services, involving outside agencies for preparation of theme papers etc. Seminars and Workshops will be organized for eliciting public opinion. A lump sum provision of Rs. 25 lakhs is proposed to meet the expenditure for preparation of the Perspective Plan. 2. Preparation of Human Development Report The concept of Human Development is a holistic one and indicators of Life Expectancy, Educational Attainment and Income are combined into a composite Human Development Index called the HDI. The United Nations Development Programme published the first Human Development Report in the year 1990. In India, States like Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharastra and Karnataka have prepared Human Development Reports for their States and other States are also in bringing out their State HDRs.

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The State Planning Commission had undertaken the exercise of preparing the TNHDR with UNDP assistance as a totally in-house exercise. A core group involving senior officers was constituted for the preparation. All the sectoral chapters were prepared by the Government officials who are experts in their own field and these reports were discussed and finalised by the expert groups. Indicators such as Human Development Index and Gender Development Index were also computed for the districts in Tamil Nadu as per UNDP methodology. The Report, thus prepared, is now being published. The preparation of State Human Development Report would help to monitor the developments of the districts in economic and social aspects. The preparation of the above report involves collection of details in sectors like Health, Education, Demography, Housing, Nutrition, Gender, Income and Poverty, Infrastructure etc. and computing of indices for various indicators which requires extensive work. Special studies will be organized in coordination with the Department of Economics and Statistics and the Department of Evaluation and Applied Research. Surveys and field studies will be organized for the collection of primary data. Expert/ consultancy groups will be formed to analyse the data inputs and draft reports. UNDP and other National Institutions will be involved in the preparation. National level Workshop will be organized to discuss the key issues and the deliberations will be utilized to enrich the themes of the TNHDR. The preparation of HDR will be taken up in future regularly. A lump sum amount of Rs. 25 lakhs is proposed to meet the expenditure in the preparation of Tamil Nadu Human Development Report. 3. Monitoring and Review of the State Economy As directed by Government, State Planning Commission brings out regularly, a Report on Monitoring of State Economy. This report highlights the performance of the core indicators of the economy viz., Gross Domestic Product, agriculture, industry, power, revenue collections, public distribution system, price behaviour etc. and helps to review the economy over the period. This report is taken up for discussion with the Secretaries to Government concerned in a meeting held periodically under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary. It is proposed to enhance and improve the prepartion of the monitoring report by adding more growth and development oriented indicators for review on the lines of the publication of Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy. Also, it is proposed to have short term consultancy studies arising out of the review. A lump sum amount of Rs. 20 lakhs is proposed in the Tenth Plan towards improving of the Monitoring and Review Report of the State Economy and employing consultancy services as necessary to study key issues. 4. Consultancy Services Among other things, the State Planning Commission is entrusted with the responsibility of undertaking special studies on important issues concerned with development of State Economy. Accordingly, it is proposed to undertake detailed studies on various key issues of social and economic

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relevance by entrusting them to experts outside Government Departments. Some of the studies may be entrusted to reputed Technical Consultant Services in the respective fields whenever complex issues crop up. For undertaking such special studies with the help of Experts and Consultancy Services, a lumpsum amount of Rs. 10 lakhs is proposed. 5. Planning Capability Development With a view to enhance the capability of the technical staff of State Planning Commission, it is essential to impart them training in the preparation and implementation of Plan Programmes through (i) Orientation courses, (ii) Seminars and Workshops, (iii) Debates and discussion meetings, (iv) Field study, (v) Report presentation, (vi) Bringing out Research papers etc. For building up Planning capability, the following are proposed: (i) Orientation Courses - In order to refresh the knowledge of the technical staff with the advanced techniques/ theories in areas like Economics, Econometrics, Statistics, Operation Research, Statistic Quality Control, Financial Management, Short term Orientation courses, exclusive/ in-house training could be arranged involving certain Research/ Training Institutes within the State and outside the State like Anna Institute of Management, Madras Institute of Development Studies, Madras School of Economics, Indian Institute of Management, IFMR, National Institute of Rural Development, Institute of Economic Growth, Indian Institute of Public Administration, Institute of Applied Manpower Research etc. It is proposed to give training in techniques and tools of Planning like GDP estimates, Incremental Capital Output Ratio, Benefit-Cost Ratio, Internal Rate of Return etc. and on Operation Research techniques like Transportation model, Simulation model, Critical Path Method, Project Evaluation Review Techniques etc. An amount of Rs. 5 lakhs is proposed for building the Planning capability of the Officers and Staff of the State Planning Commission. (ii) Seminars and Workshops - It is proposed to conduct Seminars/ Workshops on various topics like Devolution of Power from Centre to State and State to Local Bodies, economic growth, mobilization of resources, measures for attracting private investments, agricultural growth, industrial development, renewable energy sources, Export/Import prospects, growth of IT Industry, current issues etc. The above topics may be discussed in detail involving experts/ academicians/ technocrats/ NGOs/ Local Bodies/ Public etc. An amount of Rs. 10 lakhs is proposed in the Tenth Plan for arranging Seminars/ Workshops in the State Planning Commission. (iii) Field Studies - The Planners need to have some insights on the sectoral Plans. They should have exposure on the actual implementation of the Schemes at the field level. The technical officers and staff in the Commission should undertake field visits to study the specific schemes to have an overview on the financial and physical implications of the scheme. An amount of Rs. 5 lakhs is proposed for the Tenth Plan towards undertaking field studies during the Tenth Plan period.

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(iv) Internet Sharing - E-mail and Internet browsing facility through NIC is available in the Computer Centre of the State Planning Commission. In order to enable the sharing of Internet for use by the Members and Head of Divisions in SPC, it will be necessary to install hardware Router and a Terminal Adopter in the ISDN Dialup connection from DOT, a PC, Video Conferencing equipment, Terminal Adopter, rotary or push button analog telephones, FAX, and Modems. An amount of Rs. 2 lakhs is proposed. 6. Strengthening of Planning Machinery at District / State Level The State Government vide G.O.Ms.No.113, P&D, dt. 2-7-99 envisages preparation of Annual and Five Year Plans based on the Plans prepared by the Rural and Urban Local bodies integrating with the sectoral plans prepared by the Line departments in the districts and Credit Plans prepared by the Lead Bank of the respective district. SPC has already prepared a comprehensive guidelines for formulation of District Development Plan. The District Planning exercise is quite new to the officers in the districts and in the SPC. To attend to the above challenging task of preparing the District Plans which would be basic for the XI Plan for making planning from below feasible, it is proposed to strengthen the District Planning Machinery and to provide other infrastructure facilities at district / state level . An amount of Rs. 2.50 crores is proposed. 7. Training programmes for Local Bodies For the formulation of District Development plan and its integration with State Plan, various agencies like local bodies, line departments, banking and financial institutions are to be involved in the process. Further, most of the Chairpersons of the rural and urban local bodies are quite new to the local body administration and need training in District Plan formulation. To impart training to them and to organize the training programmes/ training manuals / guides, an amount of Rs. 2.10 crores is proposed. 8. Payment of TA/DA District Planning Committee Members The DP Committees have been made fully operational and functional in all the districts. DPCs have to meet once in 3 months. DPC members have to meet frequently to discuss and finalise the District Development Plan. DP Committee members have to be sanctioned with TA/DA for attending to District Planning work, in addition to sanctioning sitting fees for attending District Planning work / meetings. An amount of Rs. 20 lakhs is proposed. 9. Infrastructure facilities in State Planning Commission It is proposed (i) to shift some of the Members chambers from the eastern wing to northern wing (ii) to renovate some of the chambers of Members of State Planning Commission, (ii) to renovate the Conference Hall of State Planning Commission, (iii) purchase new Conference Hall furniture, (iv) provide A/C units and electrical items at critical computer locations and (v) provide Direct Telephone facilities to some of the Head of Divisions / Officers during the Tenth Plan period. For this, a lumpsum amount of Rs. 20 lakhs is proposed.

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Details of New Schemes Proposed for the Tenth Plan Period

Name of the Scheme A.Spillover Schemes 1. Strengthening of SPC Creation of District Planning Machinery 2. Expert Cell to assist the SLUB Total (A) B.New Proposals 1. Preparation of Perspective Plan in SPC 2. Preparation of Human Development Report for Tamil Nadu in SPC 3. Monitoring and Review of the State Economy in SPC 4. Consultancy Services 5.Planning Capability Development : i) Orientation Courses ii) Seminars and Workshops iii) Field Studies iv) Internet Sharing 6. Strengthening of Planning Machinery at District / SPC 7. Training Programme for Local Bodies 8. Payment of TA/DA to DPC Members 9. Infrastructure facilities in SPC Total (B) Total : State Planning Commission (A+B) Outlay (Rs. in Lakhs) 624 30 654 25 25 20 10 5 10 5 2 250 210 20 20 602 1256

B. Evaluation and Applied Research Department The Department of Evaluation & Applied Research (DEAR) which has highly qualified and technically trained manpower having vast experience, has been entrusted with the evaluation of a number of externally aided projects and special projects from Government of India. An outlay of Rs. 200 lakhs was provided for Evaluation and Applied Research Department for the Ninth Plan period for implementing various schemes including New schemes such as Improvement of Library, strengthening of Evaluation Machinery and providing Infrastructural facilities etc. Out of the total outlay of Rs. 200 lakhs, an expenditure of Rs. 101.63 lakhs had been incurred during Ninth Plan period. About 86 Evaluation Studies were completed during IX Plan. Unless the evaluation studies are completed quickly, the findings/ recommendations will not be really useful to the State/ Central Government. Various research activities of the Department warrant provision of additional and advanced infrastructure facilities so as to complete the assigned tasks on time. Therefore, it is proposed to strengthen the infrastructure facilities during the Tenth Plan period. It is proposed to recommend inclusion of an evaluation component in the larger new schemes of various departments, especially Agriculture, Forestry, Soil Conservation, Irrigation, Rural and Urban development, Health and Other Social Sector Schemes and allocate the necessary amount for this purpose. In the case of larger and very important studies, the views of experts will be obtained if needed, by appointing qualified technical experts as consultants.

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The Tenth Plan proposals of Evaluation and Applied Research Department are mainly for (i) strengthening of infrastructural facilities like Purchase of Computers and other accessories, Xerox machines, Water Purifier system, purchase of books for Library and electrical works, (ii) appointing Technical Consultants and (iii) providing training to the Research staff of the Department. An outlay of Rs. 32 lakhs is proposed for the Tenth Plan as given below:
Tenth Plan proposals I. Strengthening of Department 1. Appointment of Technical Consultants 2. Training II. Strengthening of Infrastructure Facilities 1. Purchase of 15 Computers and other accessories 2. Purchase of a new Xerox Machine 3. Purchase of a Water Purifier System 4. Purchase of books to the Library 5. Remodelling the Electrical Works Total Department of E & AR 18.70 6.40 0.40 1.50 1.50 32.00 2.50 1.00 Outlay (Rs. in lakhs)

C. Other Secretariat Services Establishment charges for Monitoring and Coordination Cells, Technical Cells for HADP and WGDP functioning in the Secretariat Departments, Consultancy Services, Research and Evaluation Study entrusted to E & AR Department, Grants to Technical and management institutes, etc., are considered under this development head. A lumpsum provision of Rs. 212 lakhs is proposed in the Tenth Plan. It is proposed to construct the administrative City on 2000 acres near Mamallapuram. For modernisation of the Secretariat, a lumpsum provision of Rs. 25 crores is proposed. It is a long term project for which Govt. has to raise funds. Total outlay Thus the total outlay for the sector "Secretariat Economic Services" will be Rs. 40 crores as shown below.
(Rs. in crores)
A. State Planning Commission B. Department of Evaluation and Applied Research C. Other Secretariat Services D. Modernisation of Secretariat Total : Secretariat Economic Services 12.56 0.32 2.12 25.00 40.00 12.56