Legislation clarifies how to formulate the national development plan

A statement on the draft law on national development planning says the draft clearly provides that national development plans are formulated in accordance with the recommendations and deployment decisions of the Party Central Committee, and that the State Council organizes the drafting; the specific drafting work is to be undertaken by the State Council’s department in charge of national development planning together with relevant national departments. It clearly specifies that national development plans should include major components such as an analysis of the development environment, guiding principles, key targets and indicators, major strategic tasks, major policy measures, major engineering and project initiatives, and safeguards for the implementation of the plans. It clearly sets out the principles that must be followed in drafting national development plans and the factors that must be taken into overall consideration, and makes provisions for carrying out preliminary research, improving mechanisms for public participation, improving systems for expert consultation and demonstration, and innovating drafting methods. It clearly specifies the procedural requirements for submitting the draft national development plan to the Party Central Committee and the State Council for review. (Xinhua)