Planning Commission

The Planning Commission is a government agency in India that was established to oversee the country’s economic and social development. Planning Commission was set up in 1950 to promote a rapid rise in the standard of living of the people through efficient exploitation of the country’s resources, increased production, and providing opportunities for all to work in community service.

Planning Commission of India in Hindi

Planning Commission of India

The Planning Commission of India was a non-constitutional and non-statutory body, which was responsible to formulate India’s five years plans for social and economic development in India. The Prime minister of India is the Ex-officio chairman of the planning commission. Planning Commission was set up on 15 March 1950 in accordance with article 39 of the constitution which is a part of directive principles of state policy. The planning commission is replaced by the NITI Aayog, which was established by our current Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Functions of the Planning Commission

• Evaluation of the country’s material, capital, and human resources
• Creation of a strategy for the most effective and balanced use of the country’s resources
• Defining the stages through which the plan should be carried out, as well as the allocation of resources to complete each stage.
• Determination of the nature of the machinery required for the plan’s full implementation
• A periodic assessment of the progress made in carrying out each stage of the Plan.
• Public Cooperation in National Development
• Development of Hill Areas Program
• Preparation for the future
• Directorate of Manpower

Planning Commission Chairman

The commission is chaired by India’s prime minister and consists of a deputy chairman as well as several full-time members. Each of the numerous divisions of the commission, corresponding to sectors of the national economy and society, is headed by a senior officer. The divisions include education, health, infrastructure, science, financial resources, industry, social welfare, rural development, and water resources.

Composition of the Planning Commission

• Chairman – Prime Minister; presided over the meetings of the Commission
• Deputy Chairman – de facto executive head (full-time functional head);
  • Responsible for the formulation and submission of the draft Five-Year Plan to the Central cabinet.
  • Appointed by the Central cabinet for a fixed tenure and enjoyed the rank of a cabinet minister.
  • Attend cabinet meetings without the right to vote.
• Part-time members – Some central ministers
• Ex-officio members – Finance Minister and Planning Minister

Fundamental Rights Of Indian Citizens

Who is the chairman of the Planning Commission?

The Prime Minister is the Chairman of the Planning Commission, which works under the overall supervision of the National Development Council. 

In 2014, Planning Commission was replaced by NITI Aayog or the National Institution for Transforming India. NITI Aayog is a policy think tank for the Government of India. The main difference between the NITI Aayog’s and the Planning Commission’s approaches to planning is that the former will encourage increased state participation, whereas the latter will take a top-down approach with a one-size-fits-all plan.

Shri Suman Bery is currently Vice Chairperson of NITI Aayog, in the rank and status of a Cabinet Minister.

Planning Commission is a constitutional body

The Planning Commission, although no longer active since the Planning Commission is replaced by NITI Aayog, is neither a constitutional body nor a statutory body. It is a non-constitutional or extra-constitutional body because it is not created by the Constitution of India and also a non-statutory body as it is not created by an Act of Parliament.

Planning Commission was set up in 1950 by an executive decision of the Government of India on the recommendations of the Advisory Planning Board constituted in 1946 under the chairmanship of K.C Neogi.