AFPRO has sent in proposals for supporting district level planning under 2 projects of the Government of India, the Special District Livelihood Plan (SDLP) Pilot Project and the Backward Regions Grant Fund.
Special District Livelihood Plan (SDLP) Pilot Project
AFPRO is among selected institutes that would be called upon to provide capacity building and handholding support for conduct under the Special District Livelihood Plan (SDLP) Pilot Project for 25 selected districts. AFPRO will be working in 3 of these districts. This is an initiative of the Planning Commission to for “re-orienting agricultural planning at the district level and below to address productivity and livelihood issues and participatory planning through convergence strategies in these rainfed districts spread across varying agro-climatic conditions.”
Backward Regions Grant Fund
In addition, AFPRO has also been invited to take up more districts under the Backward Regions Grant Fund, and has accordingly sent in its proposal for supporting 14 more districts.
The Planning Commission of the Government of India has initiated this process for District Level Planning, with a view to make these plans an integral bases of State level Eleventh Five Year Plans (2007-11) and Annual Plans (2007-08). The Ministry of Panchayati Raj had constituted an Expert Group in consultation with the Planning Commission in 2005 to plan this process.
In this initiative of the Planning Commission, district plans are also taking into account the activity plans of non-governmental sector of the local economy i.e. community-based initiatives, financial institutions, international NGOs, and private organizations.
A Brief Background of District Planning in India
The concept of District Level Planning is not new. Integrated local area plans based on specific endowments and needs of each area have been made stressed upon from the beginning of planned development in 1950s, but efforts made were few, irregular and isolated. 73rd and 74th Amendments to the constitution made it mandatory for District Level Plans to be consolidated out of local plans derived at the village, intermediate and district panchayats and urban local governments. However, though constitutionally validated, little progress has been made in the direction of the objectives.
Thus development activities were carried out with the inevitable segregation of sectors and programmes. The result was too was obvious in terms of incongruent processes, resource wastages, and limited outcomes.
What are District Plans?
Essentially a district plan will comprise consolidated plans of local government within a district. Each of these plans, whether rural or urban, would allocate the resources available with the district in terms of natural base, human potential and finances against sectoral activities and schemes that are assigned to the district level and below and those implemented by local governments in a State.
The each District level plan would contain the following plans:
1. Plan to be prepared by the Rural Local Bodies for the activities assigned to them and the national/state schemes implemented by them with their own resources and those earmarked for these purposes;
2. Plan to be prepared by the Urban Local Bodies for the activities assigned to them and the national/state schemes implemented by them with their own resources and those earmarked for these purposes;
3. Physical integration of the plans of Rural and Urban Local Bodies with the elements of the State Plan that are physically implemented within the geographical confines of the district.
All the three aspects would be considered and consolidated by the District Planning Committee (DPC) into a District Plan. The expected activities of the non-government sector in the local economy must also be taken into account and responded to. These would include the following:
1. Plan emerging from activities of people’s groups like SHGs, Co-operatives etc.
2. Plan emerging from the financial institutions like the local branch(es) of Commercial banks (both in the public and the private sector), NABARD, Co-operative Banks and the like.
3. Plans of International Non-Governmental Organisations (INGOs)/NGOS and Bilateral Agencies operating in the District.
4. Plans of other private agents that would either have an impact on the activities of the government or would need the government to respond to those developments in so far as its own areas of functioning/service delivery are concerned.
Special District Livelihood Plan (SDLP) Pilot Project
AFPRO is among selected institutes that would be called upon to provide capacity building and handholding support for conduct under the Special District Livelihood Plan (SDLP) Pilot Project for 25 selected districts. AFPRO will be working in 3 of these districts. This is an initiative of the Planning Commission to for “re-orienting agricultural planning at the district level and below to address productivity and livelihood issues and participatory planning through convergence strategies in these rainfed districts spread across varying agro-climatic conditions.”
Backward Regions Grant Fund
In addition, AFPRO has also been invited to take up more districts under the Backward Regions Grant Fund, and has accordingly sent in its proposal for supporting 14 more districts.
The Planning Commission of the Government of India has initiated this process for District Level Planning, with a view to make these plans an integral bases of State level Eleventh Five Year Plans (2007-11) and Annual Plans (2007-08). The Ministry of Panchayati Raj had constituted an Expert Group in consultation with the Planning Commission in 2005 to plan this process.
In this initiative of the Planning Commission, district plans are also taking into account the activity plans of non-governmental sector of the local economy i.e. community-based initiatives, financial institutions, international NGOs, and private organizations.
A Brief Background of District Planning in India
The concept of District Level Planning is not new. Integrated local area plans based on specific endowments and needs of each area have been made stressed upon from the beginning of planned development in 1950s, but efforts made were few, irregular and isolated. 73rd and 74th Amendments to the constitution made it mandatory for District Level Plans to be consolidated out of local plans derived at the village, intermediate and district panchayats and urban local governments. However, though constitutionally validated, little progress has been made in the direction of the objectives.
Thus development activities were carried out with the inevitable segregation of sectors and programmes. The result was too was obvious in terms of incongruent processes, resource wastages, and limited outcomes.
What are District Plans?
Essentially a district plan will comprise consolidated plans of local government within a district. Each of these plans, whether rural or urban, would allocate the resources available with the district in terms of natural base, human potential and finances against sectoral activities and schemes that are assigned to the district level and below and those implemented by local governments in a State.
The each District level plan would contain the following plans:
1. Plan to be prepared by the Rural Local Bodies for the activities assigned to them and the national/state schemes implemented by them with their own resources and those earmarked for these purposes;
2. Plan to be prepared by the Urban Local Bodies for the activities assigned to them and the national/state schemes implemented by them with their own resources and those earmarked for these purposes;
3. Physical integration of the plans of Rural and Urban Local Bodies with the elements of the State Plan that are physically implemented within the geographical confines of the district.
All the three aspects would be considered and consolidated by the District Planning Committee (DPC) into a District Plan. The expected activities of the non-government sector in the local economy must also be taken into account and responded to. These would include the following:
1. Plan emerging from activities of people’s groups like SHGs, Co-operatives etc.
2. Plan emerging from the financial institutions like the local branch(es) of Commercial banks (both in the public and the private sector), NABARD, Co-operative Banks and the like.
3. Plans of International Non-Governmental Organisations (INGOs)/NGOS and Bilateral Agencies operating in the District.
4. Plans of other private agents that would either have an impact on the activities of the government or would need the government to respond to those developments in so far as its own areas of functioning/service delivery are concerned.
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