Manual for Integrated District Planning - National Institute of Rural ...

Chapter 1
Introduction
1.1 Volume 1 of the Task Force Report dealt with the overarching set of reforms that
have to be put in place for facilitating participative district planning. This volume is
structured as a handbook for users and stakeholders in district planning, ranging from
the elected representatives of local governments, to district-based officials, technical
support institutions, monitors and technology providers. We are at a unique juncture
where participative decentralised district planning is gathering momentum due to
reforms in scheme implementation and towards strengthening of local governments.
Side by side, innovations in information and communication technology have made
it possible for the vision of participative planning, spoken about for long, to be
effectively implemented on a countrywide scale. The time is now ripe for grounding
participative planning from the grassroots level upwards led by local governments, so
that they prepare comprehensive plans in partnership with local communities. This
will create a strong sense of ownership, leading to better outcomes and results from
planning. The transformations that we expect in planning processes by adopting the
methods suggested in this handbook are:
(a) analysis of the existing scenario planning unit-wise, both for urban and rural
areas;
(b) conversion of department-wise planning into local government-wise planning,
taking into account all departmental activities that are devolved upon them;
(c) a coordinated effort towards achieving some common thrusts in development,
such as improving health, nutrition, education, sanitation, providing better living
environments, removing poverty, improving livelihood opportunities, boosting
agricultural production and productivity, providing social security etc., that are
fully understood and prioritised by all planning units; and
(d) a closer and more transparent linkage with state and national plans and priorities.
1.2 It is obvious that participative district planning has many dimensions and would
benefit from following a clear sequence of steps. There are five important features
that affect the sequencing of participative planning:
(a) Local governments are not fully empowered yet as envisaged in the Constitution,
leading to duality between them, line departments and parastatal bodies and
societies. We have termed each such entity as a planning unit, because they
have important roles to play in planning (See Box 2).
(b) There are several levels of local government such as the district, intermediate
and Village Panchayats in rural areas and municipalities, ward and Area Sabhas
in urban areas.
(c) There are several line departments and missions that operate independently in
important development sectors such as health, education, nutrition, sanitation,
livelihoods, watershed, forest development etc.
53