Bihar and Chhattisgarh are likely to have the highest average growth rate during the 12th Five-Year Plan.
This has been disclosed in the draft document to be discussed in National Development Council’s meeting on December 27.
In fact, Bihar gets the double distinction with best average growth figure in the 11th Plan that ended on March 31, 2012. Though experts believe that high growth rate could be because of base effect, still they admit that the State has great potential.
Apart from Bihar and Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh completes the list of the top five States. Among these States, two are BJP ruled, one is JD-BJP combined, one is Congress-NCP and one is Congress ruled. Gujarat is placed eighth in this list.
The document says, “National growth rates of GDP and State-wise break up of specific performance since 2004-05, the potentialities and the constraints present in each State and scope for growth based on an assessment within the Planning Commission have been taken into account in computing this.”
It also added that the State specific growth rates for each sector have been pro-rated to the National growth rate, so that contribution of each State to all India level in sector specific growth is maintained at the levels achieved during 2004-05 to 2009-10.
“This has been adjusted for the 12th Plan keeping in view the potentialities and constraints present in each State and the need for improvement so that the erstwhile slow growing States realise their full potential,” the draft added.
This draft will be presented before Central Ministers and all the Chief Ministers on Thursday.