15th Five-Year Plan: Former Keralam Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac slams Planning Board’s decision to empanel outside agencies
Former Kerala Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac has criticized the state's Planning Board for its decision to empanel outside consulting firms and think tanks for the 15th Five-Year Plan. Isaac argues this move mirrors the central government's shift toward NITI Aayog, potentially undermining the role of traditional working groups.
Why it matters
This reflects a broader ideological debate regarding the privatization of policy-making and the influence of external consultants in state-level governance.
A Keralam State Planning Board move to involve consulting firms and think tanks along with research institutions in the preparation of Keralam’s 15th Five-Year Plan (2027-2032) has drawn criticism from CPI(M) leader and former Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac.
Mr. Isaac wrote on Facebook that the decision reflected the V.D. Satheesan-led UDF government’s decision to transform the Planning Board into a ‘think tank’ on the lines of the NITI Aayog. He alleged that discussions in the Working Groups of the Planning Board, which are customarily tasked with preparing comprehensive reports for the drafting of the plan document, will now be curated by these outside agencies.
Mr. Isaac alleged that Mr. Satheesan is doing to the Planning Board what the BJP-led Union government did to the Planning Commission.
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