One More Ritual

WITH Monday's meeting of the half-constituted Planning Commission under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister, the government fulfilled a major ceremonial requirement. The Prime Minister's pronouncements on the occasion were also appropriately ritualistic. She exhorted the planners to place the utmost emphasis on self-reliance, which should be "the kingpin of the country's planning exercise". Also, while the plans must be realistic, "the sights must be set high" since "wherever vision is limited, action gets circumscribed''. Finally, of course, the plans must aim to give a fair deal to the underprivileged sections of society; in particular, the gap between those who have benefited from the new farm technology and those who have not had to be narrowed.