New Delhi: Attacking the previous Governments for "deterioration" in the performance of economy since the mid-90s, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today (Sep 9, 2004) favoured a development strategy with "corrective steps" to achieve high rate of growth which could percolate down to poorer sections.

"The process of economic reforms that we had initiated in the early '90s have paid rich dividends in many dimensions, but it is also true that economic performance deteriorated in the second half of the 90s.

"What is even more disturbing is that agricultural growth has decelerated after mid-90s," he told the first meeting of the Full Planning Commission after UPA (United Progressive Alliance) came to power, pointing out that economic growth had gone down to 5.4 per cent in the Ninth plan from 6.7 per cent in the previous plan (1992-97).

Not surprisingly, this had led to a growing perception that benefits of reforms had bypassed a substantial section of people, he said underscoring the need for imbibing the National Common Minimum Programme (NCMP) through feasible policies and initiatives into development plans and programmes.

"It is incumbent on us to devise and implement a development strategy which introduces corrective steps needed to achieve sustained high rates of growth in the economy along with a significantly greater degree of inclusiveness and thereby, a lesser sense of alienation," he said.

Singh said he had instructed the Commission to work out the implication of NCMP approach and elaborate it into "specific and feasible policies and initiatives" which could be built into development plans and programmes.