Summary:
more-inThe State government’s decision to establish the State Development Policy Council in place of the State Planning Commission (SPC) remains a dead letter though a year has lapsed since it was announced. The Policy Council can function as a watchdog or regulator in such a situation. Saying that the constitution of the Policy Council has “not yet been finalised,” an official of the Planning and Development Department said “various ideas and thoughts [on the matter] are under consideration of the government.” However, the need for a policy think tank was felt by the State government in the post-GST (Goods and Services Tax) era. With the assumption of office by the Jayalalithaa regime in May 2016, the SPC became defunct..