A Commtsslon had been set up In 1973 In the system of the .AI 1-Unlon Council of Scientific-Technical Societies which In 1979 was transformed Into a Committee for prognostication of scientific-technical progress. The Committee unites a considerable number of Soviet prognosticators. and comprises several branch and problem commissions. Branches of the Committee have been set up In the majority of union republ lcs and In some districts of the country. The Committee carries out work on mobilizing the efforts of the prognosticators for the solution of state tasks. experience exchange. dissemination and further development of prognostication. There are a number of decrees and decisions of the government comprising a whole complex of measures for lncrea~lng the effectiveness of planning and management of the national econ~my. Special attention Is given In these documents to the problem of prognostication. Thus, the decision "On measures for Increasing the effectiveness of work at scientific organizations and accelerating the application of the achievements of science and technology in the national economy"• adopted In 1968. recognised for the first time the necessity of elaborating scientiflc-tehcnlcal prognoses for 10-15 years and more on the problems of developing the national economy and some of Its branches. It was proposed to employ these prognoses to select the most prospective directions for the development of the national economy and some of Its branches. This decision proclaims the significance of prognosis to the state. Prognostication has been affirmed as a scientific­ analytical stage of the process of national economic planning. It recommended the determination of the technical level of pros­ pective production. machines and equipment by means of prognosis, and elaboration of plans for scientific research, with the aim of developing new machinery and technologies that would excel the best available at home and abroad. Extensive work has been carried out In the country In 
**Analysis**
The text appears to be focused on the role of scientific-technical prognosis in the planning and management of the national economy, highlighting the importance of predicting future scientific and technological developments to inform economic decisions. It mentions the need for prognoses on specific problems and branches of the economy, as well as the employment of new machinery and technologies. This suggests that the text is primarily concerned with economic development and the application of science and technology to achieve it.

**Category**
Economic development, Science and technology