Cabinet identifies 47 thrust areas

The Union Cabinet today approved a list of thrust areas comprising policies and schemes to achieve the targeted eight per cent economic grow...

The Union Cabinet today approved a list of thrust areas comprising policies and schemes to achieve the targeted eight per cent economic growth during the Tenth Plan.

Of the 47 priority schemes and objectives, seven will be directly monitored by Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee and the rest by a group of secretaries, a government spokesman said after the meeting.

Vajpayee8217;s list includes framing policy and the environment to raise India8217;s share in global exports to one per cent from the current 0.6 per cent. Computerisation of the Income Tax system has also been placed under his charge.

Vajpayee8217;s pet project8212;Golden Quadrilateral8212;will remain under him but the focus would be on its timely completion. An assistance package for artisans would also be monitored by him.

On the policy front, 115 issues have been identified of which 23 would be directly monitored by Vajpayee.

8226; The Cabinet, however, referred a proposed law on providing social cover to the unorganised sector8217;s 37 crore workers to a Group of Ministers headed by Deputy PM L.K. Advani. Besides Labour, the GoM will comprise ministers of Finance, Law, Agriculture, Petroleum and Railways.

The Unorganised Sector Workers8217; Bill proposed old age pension, unemployment and medical insurance, as outlined by the Second Labour Commission, through a workers welfare fund contributed by the Centre and states with an equal contribution from employers and employees.

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8226; The Cabinet expanded the Law Commission, setting no limit to the number of part-time members it could co-opt.

Instead of one full-time and one part-time member, the reconstituted panel will have three full-time and 8216;8216;three or more8217;8217; part-time members. As in the previous body, it will be headed by a chairman and a member-secretary.

The chairman and full-time members will be either serving or retired judges while part-timers would comprise legal experts, jurists and professors of law in any Indian university.

The idea, said the spokesman, was to have 8216;8216;the benefit of recommendations from a specialised body on various aspects of law which are entrusted to the Commission for study and recommendations as per its terms of reference.8217;8217;