Planning Commission should be more flexible, powerful : Hooda

New Delhi, Dec 9 (UNI) Advocating more freedom and powers for the Planning commission, Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda today said it would help the states to fit-in, in a better way, into the annual plans of the country.

Addressing the NDC meet, he said a serious debate should be initiated to evolve a system where the planning process term all public expenditure into account and allowed the state governments to identify their priorities.

He also asked the Central government to evolve a separate formula for sharing the Service Tax collected from a state.

''The states should be allowed to tax some of the services, which may be identified in consultation with the state governments,'' he said adding that it was necessary to invest in the social sector to achieve the goal of inclusive growth.

Mr Hooda also urged the Central Government to provide liberal assistance for upgrading the infrastructure and civic services in the National Capital Region (NCR) area in order to decongest Delhi.

''This should be a priority for the 11th Five Year Plan.

Dedicated rail and road corridors providing fast connectivity for the NCR,'' he said adding that development of ports should also be given priority for sustaining the industrial growth in the entire northern region.

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