New Delhi: Strongly batting dissolution of the Planning Commission, the head of Telangana K. Chandrashekar Rao on Sunday asked Prime Minister Minister Narendra Modi to ensure that the proposed new body is effective to move towards the goal of cooperative federalism.

Affirming that the development of India lay in developing states, Mr. Rao said the country could not be stronger if States remained weak and suggested that for effective interaction, the Council of Chief Ministers, under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister can participate as members of 'Team India to deliberate and decide on all general and important policy issues.

"However, for specific issues in a region or a few states, such as the Ganga Action Plan or Left extremism, Chief Ministers of the States concerned can be grouped into sub-groups to discuss issues specific to them," Rao said .

A permanent secretariat, with representation from each state, may be put in place to help teams of India in its deliberations, Rao said, adding that this cycle five-year plan did not look beyond the short and medium term said plan and got ready only after the completion of one or two years in the five-year cycle.