End of an era

Down To Earth speaks to former member secretary of the Planning Commission N C Saxena on what the end of five-year planning means. Saxena says the fiveyear plans, which stopped after March 2017, won't be missed by anybody. This is because while the concept was good, the implementation was bad, and the plans had become a mere ritual. He adds that the likelihood of the Niti Aayog succeeding where the Planning Commission had failed is slim because Niti Aayog enjoys even less clout than the Planning Commission.