Briefing newsmen about the recommendations of the action force, deputy chairman of the Planning Commission KC Pant also stressed that critical sectors including banking, power and telecommunications were fully geared to meet the challenge.

He added that sectors insurance, petroleum, civil aviation, atomic energy, space, ports, railways and defence would be Y2K ready by October-end.The report, prepared by the committee headed by Planning Commission member Montek Singh Ahluwalia, stated that the power sector was 99 per cent ready and all commercial banks were fully ready.

The contingency plan to meet the situation, Pant said, also includes testing and confidence-building measures.

Major recommendations of the report include, review by cabinet secretary in the first half of November of the status of 11 priority sectors including third-party audit and contingency planning; obtaining assurances from other sectors/departments confirming Y2K readiness in time; and each of the 11 critical sectors to set up a control room to be made operational.

The action force also wanted the state government to take various steps including setting up of centralised control rooms in the state linked to districts. It suggested that the state chief ministers should personally review all Y2K matters, and contingency plans for any law and order problems arising out of rumours and stray failures.

Pant said he would submit the report for further action to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and suggested that the ministry of information and broadcasting should process the recommendations of the report for further action. The report, he added would also be forwarded to the state chief ministers for necessary parallel action.