Civil society activists Tuesday urged the government to increase allocations for various social schemes, especially those related to health and education, as they directly impact the lives of the poor.
“We have recommended that the 12th Five Year Plan (2012-17) should provide more opportunities to the marginalized sections and increase investments in public service such as health, education, skill development, training and infrastructure building,” said Amitabh Behar, national convener for NGO Wada Na Todo Abhiyan (WNTA), which prepared the recommendations along with other 600 such organisations spread across the country.
This is the first time the views of civil society have been invited for the approach paper, which is the blueprint of the Five Year Plan. The activists have already submitted their recommendations to Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia.
Behar also expressed dissatisfaction with the present GDP growth-oriented model of all Five Year Plans. “It should focus on providing equal opportunities to all,” he told reporters.
But, the activist also expressed reservations whether their recommendations would be heeded by the commission.
“Some documents which are there on the Planning Commission’s website show that the recommendations we gave have been diluted,” Behar said.
