‘Plan panel’s growth projection now reality’

Planning Commission Deputy Chairman K. C. Pant on Tuesday said its projection of 8.0 per cent GDP growth, which was initially laughed at by many in this country, is now a reality. ‘‘When the Commission first talked about 8.0 per cent growth in GDP, there was considerable amusement in the country… This fiscal, GDP is slated to grow by 8.1 per cent,’’ Pant said.

Addressing a World Bank-Assocham seminar on e-governance, he said: ‘‘India has traditionally respected knowledge and it has started paying rich dividends in the recent times in the form of accelerating the process of economic growth.’’

India’s GDP had grown by less than 6.0 per cent in the last two decades (1984-2003) and plummeted to 4.0 per cent in the last fiscal after the drought.

Pant also said that ‘‘Recently, a national action plan on e-governance has been endorsed by the PM for 2003-05. This action plan envisages an investment of over Rs 2,500 crore with participation of the Centre, states and FIS.’’