The Tenth Plan (2002-07) was approved by the National Development Council on 21.12.2002. It aims at doubling the per chapita income in ten years and achieving a growth rate of 8 per cent of GDP per annum.

The Plan aims at harnessing the benefits of growth to improve the quality of life of the people by setting the following key targets : reduction in poverty ratio from 26 to 21 per cent, bringing down the decadal population growth to 16.2 per cent (in 2001-11), growth in gainful em­ployment, universal access to primary education, increase in literacy to 75 per cent, reduction of maternal mortality ratio to two per cent and infant mortality rate to 45 per 1000 live birth, providing potable drinking water to all villages, increase in forest and tree cover to 25 per cent, and cleaning of major polluted rivers.

Other highlights of the plan include creating 50 million job opportunities, reduc­ing regional disparities in development, treating ag­riculture as core element of the Plan, repealing SICA, dereserving small scale industries, achieving 10 per cent growth in industrial sector, adopting a civil aviation policy, improving people’s participa­tion and involving civil society in development.