Council okays framework for Development Planning Law

Muscat, Feb 6 - The State Council on Wednesday approved a proposal for a general framework for the ‘Development Planning Law.’ The Council approved the proposal during its fifth session, presided over by Dr Yahya bin Mahfoud al Mantheri, the Chairman. It approved the proposal submitted by the Economic Committee to amend the Economic Development Law issued by Royal Decree No (9/75) and develop a general framework for a new law regulating planning process, called the ‘Development Planning Law’. The council had entrusted the committee with developing a framework for a new draft law for regulating the planning process, determining the general guidelines of the bodies, and the method and timings of work. “The committee prepared a draft framework of most important determinants and substantive provisions and suggested it be issued under the name of the ‘Development Planning Law’ instead of the ‘Economic Development Law’, in line with many countries that have enacted planning laws,” said Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdullah al Harthi, Head of the Economic Committee. Al Harthi said the proposed framework focuses on planning process rather than economic development in general. “The draft law also deals with development policies, process of drawing them up, setting performance and measurement indicators in light of the Omani experience in preparing the five-year plans over five decades,” he said. In the report preparation, the committee considered the separation of the overlap between planning and policy tasks on the one hand and evaluation and follow-up on the other by trying to provide an integrated system that takes into account the challenges addressed through the study.