New Delhi: The planning commission has announced the dismantling of the 19 consultative groups it had set up earlier for a mid-term appraisal of the 10th five-year plan.

In a communique, the commission said: "The commission has reviewed the matter and decided to dissolve the consultative groups. The Commission will revert to the earlier practice of consulting individuals separately as part of the mid-term appraisal process."

It may be recalled that the plan panel, as part of the process of conducting the mid-term appraisal of the 10th plan had announced the establishment of a number of consultative groups in different areas to provide a forum for outside inputs into the appraisal process. The decision to include in these groups individuals associated with international multilateral organisations and foreign firms operating in India had been a subject of some discussion.

The planning commission deputy chairman, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, was persistently on the defensive, stating that a whiff of eclectic ideas and consultations from outside experts including foreign experts would in no way compromise the ultimate decision-making power of the Plan panel.

The decision to disband the consultative groups in a bid to resolve the controversy over the inclusion of foreign experts into consultative process came after the Ahluwalia, met the chairman of the Plan panel and prime minister, Manmohan Singh, twice since last evening.