Status And Process Of Gram Panchayat Development Plan In India : State Specific Field Based Observations

Abstract

Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) across the country have differential performance based on (a) the devolution of 3Fs (Funds, Functions and Functionaries) (b) their capacity building and (b) the efforts made by PRI leadership as well as by the community. The FFC award of fund has created an opportunity for responsive local governance at the cutting edge institutional level of the Gram Panchayat (GP). The guidelines issued by Ministry of Finance for the release and utilization of the local bodies grant stipulate that proper plans are to be prepared by the GPs for the basic services within the functions devolved to them as per State laws before incurring expenditure under the FFC award. In the context of the Constitutional mandate, these plans have to be participatory plans involving the community, particularly the Gram Sabha, in the formulation of priorities and projects and will also have to ensure the mandates of social justice and economic development mentioned in Article 243G. The Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP) is to have a clear component addressing vulnerabilities of poor and marginalized people and their livelihood opportunities through an integrated poverty reduction plan that converges with the labour budgeting and projectisation exercises under MGNREGS as well. The GPDPs are also an opportunity for the community to be engaged in setting local development agenda and finding local solutions to development issues.

In this context, the present paper has made an attempt to understand the status, how the GPs are preparing the plans, how people are mobilised and what are the problems and challenges are based in collective decision making in selected states and the field observations are presented for better understanding the readers, researchers and policy makers.