New Delhi: Reflecting the compulsions of the coalition, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has inducted six ministers, including three from its key allies RJD (Rashtriya Janata Dal), NCP (Nationalist Congress Party) and DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam), as ex-officio members of the Planning Commission, which meets tomorrow (Jul 17, 2004) for the first time since the new Government took over.

They are RJD's Laloo Yadav, NCP's Sharad Pawar and DMK's Dayanidhi Maran. The Congress is represented by bigwigs Pranab Mukherjee, Arjun Singh and P Chidambaram who is traditionally also part of the full commission as Finance Minister, official sources said.

The six ministers would represent their respective ministries who have major spending programmes to meet the objectives outlined in the CMP (Common Minimum Programme).

This is the second time during Congress regime that ministers have been inducted as ex-officio members to the full panel. The first time it happened was in the final year of Rajiv Gandhi's Prime Ministership.

The move can be seen as a means for smooth sailing of decisions and for avoiding any resistance when the policies and programmes formulated by the panel are placed before the Cabinet for clearance and then before the National Development Council for approval and implementation. The Prime Minister is also scheduled to hold a two hour-long meeting with the full Commission tomorrow which would be attended by the six ministers and the seven members.

Discussion on devising ways for implementation of promises made in the CMP top the agenda of the meeting where Singh would also swear in deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia and the members, Kirit Parekh, Abhijit Sen, Syeda Hameed, V L Chopra, B N Yugandhar and B L Mungekar in his capacity as the chairman of the commission.