Bhopal, August 01 (Pervez Bari): Planning Commission of India has recognised as best the software developed by the Madhya Pradesh State Planning Commission for decentralised district planning system. Planning Commission member Ms Sudha Pillai has suggested other states to adopt it.
It may be recalled that the Planning Commission of India is quite impressed by the database prepared by this software. The Madhya Pradesh State Planning Commission has implemented the decentralised plan prepared through this software in all the districts of the state in 2011-12. The State Planning Commission made a presentation of this software before Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission of India Dr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia who lavished praise on it.
The most important feature of the plans chalked out with the help of this software is that these plans are available online to all the stakeholders. The information collected through the software is being utilised in the implementation of Village Master Plan by various departments. Besides government departments, other agencies are also utilising this database. These include non-government agencies, Panchayats, urban bodies and private sector. This information has been collected in consultation with masses and resources are being utilised in development of the state through these plans as per people’s expectations.
The picture of every village is clearly described in the village plan which may be loosely called “horoscope”. The village plans were prepared by Panchayat Raj Institutions and urban plans by local bodies with the support of Technical Support Groups (TSGs) constituted for each gram Panchayat and ward. Every group covered 3-5 Gram Panchayat and comprised 5-6 grassroots level government functionaries such as Jan Shikshak, ANM/MPW, sub-engineer of PHED, RES,PWD, Water Resources Department, Van Rakshak, Patwari etc. These groups supported the village development committees of Gram Sabhas in the planning process.
The people of every village identified and suggested the works to be taken up there. An encouraging fact that emerged in this process is that maximum demands pertained to improving education and health facilities. This shows their growing awareness towards education and health.
Each Gram Sabha followed a participatory process with the help of TSGs to come up with Vision of Development based on local needs. The Gram Sabhas prepared their proposal for different sectors in consultation with all the stakeholders, especially with poor villagers and members of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes and also women. The proposal of each Gram Sabha was consolidated for preparing plan proposal of Gram Panchayat. Similarly, Janpad Panchayat consolidated the plan proposals of all concerning Gram Panchayat including the interventions of Janpad. In addition to the district level interventions, plans prepared by Janpad were the basis for consolidation of plan at Zila Panchayat level.
The same process was adopted in urban areas. The urban local bodies formed TSGs comprising their functionaries ward parshads, retired government staff, individuals from ward to provide technical support to Mohalla Samitis in the process of participatory urban planning.
The Madhya Pradesh state government has institutionalized planning process by allocating adequate per cent state recourses to the districts. The total allocation for District Plans for the financial year 2011-12 is about 37.63 per cent of total plan size of the state. The village plans have every necessary information including resources of the villages, immediate and long term needs, details including names of the beneficiaries of different schemes etc. The village plans are available on website http://www.mpforest.org/DCP/. (pervezbari@eth.net)