Consider the following statements:
- National Development Council is an organ of the Planning Commission.
- The Economic and Social Planning is kept in the Concurrent List in the Constitution of India.
- The Constitution of India prescribes that Panchayats should be assigned the task of preparation of plans for economic development and social justice.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
1 only
2 and 3 only
1 and 3 only
1, 2 and 3
Answer is Wrong!
Answer is Right!
This question was previously asked in
UPSC IAS – 2013
The correct answer is B) 2 and 3 only. Statement 1 is incorrect, while statements 2 and 3 are correct.
Statement 1 is incorrect. The National Development Council (NDC) was an apex body that guided the Planning Commission and approved its final plans. It was established by an executive resolution in 1952 and comprised the Prime Minister (Chairman), Chief Ministers of all states, Union Cabinet Ministers, and members of the Planning Commission. It was not an organ *of* the Planning Commission but rather a body overseeing it. (Note: Both Planning Commission and NDC have been replaced by NITI Aayog since 2015). Statement 2 is correct. “Economic and Social Planning” is listed as Entry 20 in List III (Concurrent List) of the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution, meaning both the Union and State governments can legislate on this subject. Statement 3 is correct. Article 243G of the Constitution (introduced by the 73rd Amendment) mandates that state legislatures may endow Panchayats with such powers and authority as may be necessary to enable them to function as institutions of self-government, including the preparation of plans for economic development and social justice. Schedule Eleven lists subjects for which Panchayats are responsible for planning and implementation.