 | This article needs additional citations for verification .(April 2012) |
A district planning committee (DPC) is the committee created as per article 243ZD of the Constitution of India at the district level [1] [2] for planning at the district and below. The committee in each district should consolidate the plans prepared by the Panchayats and the municipalities in the district and prepare a draft development plan for the district. [3]
The Constitution of India provides the DPCs two specific responsibilities. In preparing the draft development plan, the DPC shall have regard to matters of common interest between the Panchayats and the municipalities, including spatial planning, sharing of water and other physical and natural resources, the integrated development of infrastructure and environmental conservation and the extent and type of available resources, both financial or otherwise. The DPC in this endeavor, is also mandated to consult such institutions and organizations as may be specified. In order that the plans at different levels are prepared, there is need to strengthen the system comprising the machinery of planning and the process of consolidation of plans at the district level.
There is confusion in states as to whether the DPC is to be established as a separate and permanent office or whether it denotes only a meeting that is periodically called and which can be serviced by a part-time secretariat. There is a feeling that the DPC ought not to emerge as yet another layer of bureaucracy to vet people's plans. At the same time, the fact that the DPC is held intermittently and without permanent support undermines its effectiveness as a constitutional institution and a coordinating mentor. On balance, the DPC merits the status of a permanent institution, with adequate secretariat to service it at the district level. It could also be provided the means of drawing experts to assist it whenever required.
All states and union territories except Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, and Delhi are required to set up district planning committees in accordance with Article 243ZD of the Constitution of India. But the status, [4] as of financial year 2007-08 is as follows:
| Sl No | States/Union Territories | Status of constitution of DPCs |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andhra Pradesh | Not yet constituted. |
| 2 | Arunachal Pradesh | Not yet constituted. |
| 3 | Assam | Not yet constituted. |
| 4 | Bihar | Yes. Chairperson of District Council is the Chairperson of DPC. |
| 5 | Chhattisgarh | Yes. District in-charge Minister is the Chairperson of DPC. |
| 6 | Goa | Yes. Chairperson of District Council is the Chairperson of DPC |
| 7 | Gujarat | Not yet constituted. |
| 8 | Haryana | Yes. District in-charge Minister is the Chairperson of DPC. |
| 9 | Himachal Pradesh | Yes. District in-charge Minister is the Chairperson of DPC. |
| 10 | Karnataka | Yes. Chairperson of District Council is the Chairperson of DPC. |
| 11 | Jharkhand | Yes. Panchayat elections yet to be held. |
| 12 | Kerala | Yes. Chairperson of District Council is the Chairperson of DPC. The District Collector is the Secretary of DPC. |
| 13 | Madhya Pradesh | Yes. District in-charge Minister is the Chairperson of DPC. |
| 14 | Maharashtra | Yes. District in-charge Minister is the Chairperson of DPC. |
| 15 | Manipur | Yes in 4 districts. Chairperson of District Council is the Chairperson of DPC. |
| 16 | Odisha | Yes in 26 districts. Senior-most Member of the Legislative Assembly of the district is the Chairperson of DPC. |
| 17 | Punjab | Not yet constituted. |
| 18 | Rajasthan | Yes. Chairperson of District Council is the Chairperson of DPC. |
| 19 | Sikkim | Yes. |
| 20 | Telangana | Not yet constituted. |
| 21 | Tamil Nadu | Yes. Chairperson of District Council is the Chairperson of DPC. |
| 22 | Tripura | Not yet constituted. |
| 23 | Uttar Pradesh | Yes. District in-charge Minister is the Chairperson of DPC. |
| 24 | Uttarakhand | DPCs are not notified or constituted, even though legal provision exists. |
| 25 | West Bengal | Yes. Chairperson of District Council is the Chairperson of DPC. |
| 26 | Andaman and Nicobar Islands | Yes. Chairperson of District Council is the Chairperson of DPC |
| 27 | Chandigarh | Not yet constituted. |
| 28 | Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu | Yes. Chairman of District Council is the Chairperson of DPC. |
| 29 | Lakhshadeep | Yes. District Magistrate is the Chairperson of DPC. |
| 30 | Puducherry | Yes. Panchayat elections yet to be held. |
It is clear that the steps taken to operationalize the provisions of Article 243 ZD of the Constitution of India, by the States, have been unsatisfactory. Despite its shortcomings, DPC should become a fulcrum of planning effort in a district and should be enabled to develop the capacity to undertake expected tasks.
An analysis of the functioning of DPCs and the formulation and implementation of ‘district plans’ in 14 states [5] reveals the following:-
The first step is to ensure that DPCs are set up in all states in accordance with Article 243 ZD of the Constitution. In spite of the resolutions of the Second Round Table to set up DPCs as mandated by the Constitution and efforts by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj to persuade all states, some states are still dragging their feet in this regard. The Ministry of Panchayati Raj addressed all Secretaries of Panchayati Raj in states on 30 May 2005 requesting them to constitute DPCs in their respective states if the same had not been constituted. Their attention was also drawn to the meeting of the Committee of Chief Secretaries and Secretaries of Panchayati Raj in the states/union territories held on 11 April 2005 wherein the Ministry of Panchayati Raj had communicated that the states that had not constituted DPCs in accordance with Article 243ZD of the Constitution should do so before 31 October 2005. However, this was not achieved. The steps taken by this Expert Group and the circular issued by the Planning Commission to all states regarding formulation of the Annual plans of states has already been referred to in Chapter 2. While the circular marked an important step forward and would give an impetus to the endeavor to establish and strengthen district planning committees, detailed instructions were issued to all states and central ministries prior to eleventh plan discussions on the following points:
The need to provide professional support to the DPC cannot be overstated. Though several states have provided staff from the state level on deputation to District Panchayats for the purpose of undertaking planning, such Staff are overburdened and ill-equipped. There is a need to create, preferably within the District Panchayat, a separate cell to service the District Planning Committee. The Cell could have five separate and distinct sections, namely, dealing with Municipal Plans, District Panchayat Plans, Intermediate Panchayat Plans, Village Panchayat Plans and one for maintenance of data and undertake research, with the necessary support in terms of IT and qualified research assistants.
The aim of drawing experts is to assist the local governments concerned (Panchayats and Urban Local Bodies) in both forming a vision and designing strategies to attain that vision. Advice of the experts would be based on experience, expertise and the field position, as revealed from ground data. Special efforts ought to be made by states to ensure that the best talent and the most motivated are invited to participate as experts. The following points are recommended by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Government of India, to guide the drawing of experts to support the DPC:
The DPC could also constitute a few sectoral sub-committees for both the envisioning and the consolidation processes. The task of sectoral Sub Committees is to go into the details of each development sector assigned, such as proper quantification and description of service available in the sector, whether these meet the norms prescribed, the gaps that need to be filled and track data availability, in consultation with local Bodies, public and private organizations before finalizing the vision of that Sector. Once the Sectoral Vision document is prepared, it shall be submitted to the DPC. Sectoral sub-committees could also give suggestions for innovative plans and integrated projects, which local governments may accept if they so desire.
One of the primary tasks of the DPC would be to build capacity for decentralized planning in the district. A major impediment to proper planning is the lack of personnel providing planning support and availability of good and comprehensible information at the Intermediate and Gram Panchayat levels. Provision of support for planning at the Intermediate Panchayat level: Each Intermediate Panchayat should be provided a planning and data unit, which could also be integrated into the larger concept of having a Resource Centre at each Intermediate Panchayat level, to provide a basket of pooled services, such as for engineering, agriculture, watershed development, women and child care, public health etc., which Gram Panchayats can draw upon for support in planning and implementation.
Gram Panchayat is a basic governing institution in Indian villages. It is a political institution, acting as the cabinet of a village or group of villages. The Gram Sabha works as the general body of the Gram Panchayat. The members of the gram panchayat are elected directly by the people. The gram panchayat is headed by an elected President and Vice President, assisted by a Secretary who serves as the administrative head of the panchayat. The president of a gram panchayat is known as a "Pradhan" or "Sarpanch" in Northern India. There are about 250,000 gram panchayats present in India.
A sarpanch, gram pradhan, mukhiya, or president is a decision-maker, elected by the village-level constitutional body of local self-government called the gram sabha in India. The sarpanch, together with other elected panchayat members, constitute gram panchayats and zilla panchayats. The sarpanch is the focal point of contact between government officers and the village community and retains power for five years. the term used to refer to the sarpanch can vary across different states of India. Here are some of the commonly used terms for sarpanch in various states: panchayat president, gram pramukh, gram pradhan, gram adhyaksha, gaon panchayat president, gram panchayat president, etc.
Panchayat samiti or block panchayat is a rural local government (panchayat) body at the intermediate tehsil (taluka/mandal) or block level in India. It works for the villages of the tehsil that together are called a development block. It has been said to be the "panchayat of panchayats".
A Nyaya panchayat is a system of dispute resolution at the village level in the panchayati raj system of India.
Panchayati raj is the system of local self-government of villages in rural India as opposed to urban and suburban municipalities.
The Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana was a scheme launched by the Government of India to gain the objective of providing gainful employment for the rural poor. From 21 February 2003, EAS became an allocation-based scheme. The programme was implemented through the Panchayati Raj institutions.
The Ministry of Panchayati Raj is a branch of the Government of India. Ministry of Panchayati Raj looks into all matters relating to the Panchayati Raj and Panchayati Raj Institutions. It was created in May 2004. The ministry is headed by a minister of cabinet rank / Minister of State and transfers grants to rural local bodies for civic programs such as maintenance and construction of roads, pavements, bridges, drainage systems, parks, piped water supply, streetlights etc.
Kerala is a state on the southwestern coast of India. It is known for its high literacy rate, low infant mortality rate, and long life expectancy.
In India, the Urban Local Bodies (UBL), also called municipalities, are self-government institutions responsible for the administration of cities, towns, and transitional areas within a state or Union Territory. The 74th amendment to the Constitution of India in 1992 provided constitutional framework for the establishment of Urban Local Bodies.
Local government in India is governmental jurisdiction below the level of the state. Local self-government means that residents in towns, villages and rural settlements are the people who elect local councils and their heads authorising them to solve the important issues. India is a federal republic with three spheres of government: union, state and local. The 73rd and 74th constitutional amendments give recognition and protection to local governments and in addition each state has its own local government legislation. Since 1992, local government in India takes place in two very distinct forms. Urban localities, covered in the 74th amendment to the Constitution, have Municipality but derive their powers from the individual state governments, while the powers of rural localities have been formalized under the panchayati raj system, under the 73rd amendment to the Constitution.
The Balwant Rai Mehta Committee was a committee originally appointed by the Government of India on 16 January 1957 to examine the working of the Community Development Programme and the National Extension Service and to suggest measures for their better working. The Chairman of this committee was Balwantrai G Mehta. The committee submitted its report on 24 November 1957 and recommended the establishment of the scheme of 'democratic decentralisation' which finally came to be known as Panchayati Raj. The main aim of Panchayat raj system is to settle the local problems locally and to make the people politically conscious.
In December 1977, the Janata Government appointed a committee on Panchayati Raj institutions under the chairmanship of Asoka Mehta. The committee submitted its report in August 1978 and made 132 recommendations to revive and strengthen the declining Panchayati Raj system in the country. As a result of this report, the Indian states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and West Bengal passed new legislation. However, the flow of politics at the state level did not allow the institutions to develop their own political dynamics.
Local bodies in Tamil Nadu constitute the three tier administration set-up in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is a system of local government which forms the last level from the Centre. Chennai Corporation in the then Madras Presidency, established in 1688, is the oldest such local body not only in India but also in any commonwealth nations outside United Kingdom.
The Provisions of the Panchayats Act, 1996 abbreviated as PESA Act is a law enacted by the Government of India for ensuring self governance through traditional Gram Sabhas for people living in the Scheduled Areas of India. Scheduled Areas are areas identified by the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution of India. Scheduled Areas are found in ten states of India which have predominant population of tribal communities. The Scheduled Areas, were not covered by the 73rd Constitutional Amendment or Panchayati Raj Act of the Indian Constitution as provided in the Part IX of the Constitution. PESA was enacted on 24 December 1996 to extend the provisions of Part IX of the Constitution to Scheduled Areas, with certain exceptions and modifications. PESA sought to enable the Panchayats at appropriate levels and Gram Sabhas to implement a system of self-governance with respect to a number of issues such as customary resources, minor forest produce, minor minerals, minor water bodies, selection of beneficiaries, sanction of projects, and control over local institutions. PESA is an Act to provide for the extension of the provisions of Part IX of the Constitution relating to the Panchayats and the Scheduled Areas. PESA was viewed as a positive development for tribal communities in Scheduled Areas who had earlier suffered tremendously from engagement with modern development processes and from the operation of both colonial laws and statutes made in independent India. The loss of access to forest, land, and other community resources had increased their vulnerability. Rampant land acquisition and displacement due to development projects had led to large scale distress in tribal communities living in Scheduled Areas. PESA was seen as a panacea for many of these vulnerabilities and sought to introduce a new paradigm of development where the tribal communities in such Scheduled Areas were to decide by themselves the pace and priorities of their development.
The Zila Panchayat or District Development Council or Zilla Parishad or District Panchayat or is the third tier of the Panchayati Raj system and functions at the district levels in all states. A Zila Parishad is an elected body representing the entire rural area of a district. A District Panchayat is headed by a President, who is an elected member. Block Pramukh of Block Panchayat are also represented in Zila Parishad. The members of the State Legislature and the members of the Parliament of India are members of the Zila Parishad. The Zila parishad acts as the link between the state government and the village-level Gram Panchayat.
The Backward Regions Grant Fund (BRGF) is an Indian government program designed to "address regional imbalances in development." The programme was launched by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at Barpeta, Assam on 19 February 2007.
Surendra Kumar Dey, was India's first Union Cabinet minister for Cooperation and Panchyati Raj. Mr. Dey is remembered as the man who pioneered and steered community development in independent India. He firmly believed that democracy cannot be practiced by government servants and stressed that the fruits of democracy ought to reach every village.
The Panchayat raj is a political system, originating from the Indian subcontinent, found mainly in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. It is one of the oldest systems of local government in the Indian subcontinent, and historical mentions date to around 250 CE. The word raj means 'rule' and panchayat means 'assembly' (ayat) of 'five' (panch). Traditionally, panchayats consisted of wise and respected elders chosen and accepted by the local community. These assemblies settled disputes between both individuals and villages. However, there were varying forms of such assemblies.
Block Pramukh is a term used in India to refer to the elected head of a Panchayat Samiti or Block Panchayat. The Panchayat samiti is a tier of the Panchayati raj system. It is a rural local government body at the Tehsil (block) level in India. It works for the villages of the tehsil that together are called a development block. The Panchayat Samiti is the link between the gram panchayat and the zila parishad. There are a number of variations in the name of this institution in the various states. For example, it is known as Kshetra Panchayat in Uttar Pradesh, Mandal Parishad in Andhra Pradesh, Taluka Panchayat in Gujarat, Block Panchayat in Kerala, and Mandal Panchayat in Karnataka.
A District Development Council is a form of elected local government in Jammu and Kashmir facilitated by the Jammu and Kashmir Panchayati Raj Act, 1989 and created under Jammu and Kashmir Panchayati Raj Rule, 1996 of the constitution of India. They are primarily aimed at electing the members from the rural and urban areas for the District Planning Committee and the councils themselves with fourteen members from each district for speedy development and economic upliftment.