grassroots feb2011 dg

8/6/2019 Grassroots Feb2011 DG

1/35

36.4% of total plan allocation in

FY2012 Union Budget goes to

the Social Sector. That is Rs

1,60,887 crore. An increase of

17% over FY 2011. Between

2004-05 and 2009-10, central

plus state social spending has

more than doubled from Rs 1.73

lakh crore to Rs 4.46 lakh crore.

That is an increase from 5.33%

of GDP to 7.23%. Social sector

spending of the Government has

actually risen faster than GDP.

This issue brings you an assort-

ment of news bits and opinion

bytes culled out post-budget

from the papers as relates to the

social sector.

Much of the social sector expendi-

ture gets spent at the grassroots

level of villages and towns. Both

Union and State Governments

stand committed to decentralize

governance to PRIs and municipal

bodies. Many are doing so in vary-

ing degrees. Indian Audit & Ac-

counts Department needs to

respond to this new evolving

dynamism in public finance. And

to the questions of establishment

of accountability through audit

of that highly sensitive and com-

plex area of public expenditure.

Foreword

Grassroots

Budget 2011-12

Increase of 17%

over FY 2011 for

Social Sector

National Food Secu-

rity Bill (NFSB) to be

introduced in Parlia-

ment during the

year

Wage rate under

MGNREGA to beindexed to the Con-

sumer Price Index

for Agriculture La-

bour

Remuneration of

Anganwadi workers

and helpers doubled

40% increase in

allocation under

SSA

e-journal of local bodiesFebruary 2011

This issue:

Budget 2011-12 2

Articles 12

From Field Office 13

District Planning 14

Decentralised Gov-

ernance

17

Implementation of

schemes

21

Internal Control, Trans-

parency & Vigilance

Mechanism

29

Trend in Social Sector expenditure | Source : RBI Website


2/35


3/35

Allocationforthesocialsectorinbudget2011has

increasedby17%,butsomesectorexecutives,

particularlyinhealthcare,saythefinanceminister

hasgiventhemtheshortshrift.

PranabMukherjeeallocatedRs160,887crore,or36.4%oftotalPlanallocation,tothesocialsector.

Ofthis,theBharatNirmangroupofwelfare

schemes,includingthePradhanMantriGramSadak

Yojana,AcceleratedIrrigationBenefitProgramme,

RajivGandhiGrameenVidyutikaranYojana,Indira

AwasYojana,NationalRuralDrinkingWaterPro

grammeandRuralTelephony,havetogetherbeen

allocatedRs58,000crore.

Allocationforhealthcarehasbeenincreasedby

20%toRs26,750crore.

Yetagain,initiativestoreformthehealthcare

agendahavegoneunansweredintheUnion

budget,saidPrathapC.Reddy,chairman,Apollo

HospitalsGroup.Thoughthebudgethadasignifi

cantallocationforinfrastructure,notfinding

healthcareontheagendaofthefinanceminister

takesanotheryearawayinbridgingtheaffordability

andaccessibilitygapinourcountry.

Publicexpentitureonhealthhoversaround1%ofthe

grossdomesticproduct,orhalftheexpectedoutlay.

Charu

Sehgal,

senior

director,

Deloitte

Touche

Toh

matsuIndia,saidsomeothersocialsectorareashave

faredbetter.

TheincreasedcoverageofRashtriyaSwasthyaBima

Yojana(NationalHealthInsuranceScheme)toinclude

beneficiariesofMGNREGA(MahatmaGandhiNational

RuralEmploymentGuaranteeAct)andsomeunorgan

izedsectorssuchashazardousminingandassociated

industriesisanexcellentstepandwillgoalongwayin

increasingaccesstothepoorandencourageprivate

sectorparticipationinruralareas,Sehgalsaid.

Theincomeofworkersandhelpersatanganwadis,or

governmentrundaycarecentres,hasbeendoubled.

Themoveisexpectedtobenefitnearly2.2millionpeo

ple.

However,ithasnotbeenreplicatedforvoluntaryac

creditedsocialhealthactivistsoftheNationalRural

HealthMission.

Forthefirsttime,specificallocationshave

beenearmarkedforthescheduledcaste

subplanandthetribalsubplan.The

budget

allocation

for

tribal

groups

was

increasedfromRs185crorein201011to

Rs244crorein201112.

TheSarvaShikshaAbhiyan(EducationFor

AllCampaign)receivedasignificantboost

witha40%hikeinbudgetaryallocation,

fromRs15,000croretoRs21,000crore.

Mukherjeehasalsoproposedascholar

shipschemeforneedystudentsfrom

scheduledcasteandscheduledtribecate

goriesstudyinginclasses9and10,which

couldpotentiallybenefitfourmillionstu

dents.

http://

www.livemint.com/2011/03/01002649/

Budgetgivessocialsectorsho.html

closeto UPAchairpersonSoniaGandhisheart.The

NationalAdvisoryCouncil,headedbySonia,hasalready

preparedaframeworknoteandanexplanatorynoteon

theproposedlegislationandposteditonitswebsite

andsoughtcommentsfrompublic.

TheNACsWorkingGrouponFoodSecuritywilltake

intoaccountthefeedbacksreceivedtillMarch7next

whilefinalisingthedraftlegislation.

Theadvisorypanelislikelytodiscussthedraftinits

meetingonMarch24.

MukherjeeproposedahikeofRs10,000croretoraise

theallocationsforBharatNirman,whichincludesthe

PradhanMantriGramSadakYojana,AcceleratedIrriga

tionBenefitProgramme,RajivGandhiGrameenVidyuti

karanYojana,IndiraAwasYojana,NationalRuralDrink

ingWaterProgrammeandRuralTelephony,toRs58,000crore.

Heannouncedtoraisethemonthlyremunerationsfor

theAnganwadiworkersfromRs1,500toRs3,000and

forAnganwadihelpersfromRs750toRs1,500.

Specificallocations

TheBudget201112forthefirsttimeproposedspecific

allocationsforScheduledCastesandScheduledTribes

SubPlans.Theallocationsforprimitivetribalgroupswill

risefromRs185crorein201011toRs244crorein

201112.

FinanceMinisterPranabMukherjeeonMonday

proposedanallocationofRs160,887croreor36.4

percentofthetotalplanallocationforsocialsec

tor,aincreaseof17percentoverthecurrentyear.

Healsosuggestedtodoublethewagesofaround

22lakhAnganwadiworkersandhelpersacrossthe

country.

TheUPAgovernmentsflagshipprogrammeshave

beentheprincipalinstrumentforimplementingits

agendaforinclusivedevelopment,Mukherjee

said.

Accordingtohim,thegovernmentwouldintroduce

theNationalFoodSecurityBillintheParliamentthis

year.TheNFSBisbeingprojectedastheUPAsnext

landmarkinitiativeaftertheMahatmaGandhiNa

tionalRuralEmploymentGuaranteeAct,whichithadbroughtintoforceduringits200409tenure.

Thecountryhascarriedforlongenoughthebur

denofhungerandmalnutrition.Afterdetailed

consultationswithallstakeholders,includingthe

stategovernments,weareclosetothefinalisation

oftheNFSB,whichwillbeintroducedintheParlia

mentthisyear,saidMukherjee.

TheNFSBisintendedtoprovideunderprivileged

sectionsofthesocietywithlegalentitlementof

particularquantitiesofriceandwheatatcheaper

priceeverymonth. TheBillisbelievedtobevery

Theministerproposed20percentand

24percentincreaseinallocationsfor

health(Rs26,760crore)andeducation

sectors(Rs52,057crore),respectively.

Hisemphasisonsocialsectoriswellin

keepingwiththeCongressplantofocus

moreonpursuingitsAamAadmiagenda

tooffsettheimpactsofthescamsonthe

imageofthegovernment,particularly

aheadoftheAssemblyelectionsinKer

ala,WestBengal,TamilNadu,Assamand

Puducherry.

MukherjeealsooutlinedtheUPAsfive

prongedstrategytocombatcorruption

andimprovegovernance.

Hesaidthatagroupofministershasbeentaskedwithaddressingissuesrelat

ingtostatefundingofelections,speedier

processingofcorruptioncasesofpublic

servants,transparencyinpublicprocure

mentandcontracts,discretionarypowers

ofCentralministersandcompetitive

systemforexploitingnaturalresource.

http://www.deccanherald.com/

content/141930/congressplaysaam

aadmicard.html

Budgetgivessocialsectorshortshrift|LiveMint|1March2011

Governmentplays'aamaadmi'card|DeccanHerald|28February2011

Page 3Grassroots


4/35


5/35


6/35

Evadingchallengesinsocialsectorsandfoodsecurity|Livemint|28February2011

suchsectors,whichisusuallysmallandsporadic)had

goneupfrom1.86%ofGDPin200910to2.06%ofGDP

in201011(RE).Butithasnowfallento1.96%ofGDPin

201112(BE).TheoutlayforPlanexpenditureonthese

sectorsshowsa14%increaseover201011(RE),butthe

outlayfornonPlanrevenueexpenditureonthesesec

torshasregisteredasharpdecline,fromRs35,085crore

toRs20,862crore.Thiskindoflopsidedpolicyforsocial

sectorspendinghasalreadygivenrisetoacutestaff

shortagesinmoststates.

Moreover,withtheCentresbudgetcontributingfunds

worthonly2%ofGDPtothesocialsectors(i.e.educa

tion,health,waterandsanitation,andsoon),thetotal

budgetaryspendingonthesewillcontinuetobeless

than7%ofGDPin201112.Theaveragefigureforsocial

sectorspendingbygovernmentsinOECDcountriesisas

highas14%ofGDP.

WhilethebudgetoutlayforSarvaShikshaAbhiyan(SSA)

hasbeenincreasedfromRs15,000crorein201011(BE)

toRs21000crorein201112(BE),theschemecan

hardlysucceedinoperationalizingtheRighttoEduca

tionActwiththismagnitudeoffunds.TheCentres

estimation,amodestonefromthepointofviewof

quality,hasindicatedthatadditionalbudgetoutlaysfor

elementaryeducationrequiredforoperationalizingthe

ActwouldbeRs1.82trillionoveraperiodoffiveyears.

Hence,ifjustonefifthofthishadtobeallocatedin

201112,withthebudgetcontributingonlyhalfofit,

theoutlayforSSAshouldhavebeenincreasedat

leasttoRs33,000crore.

Inthehealthsector,whilethefinanceminister

hasannouncedthattheRashtriyaSwasthyaBima

Yojanawouldbeextendedtoincludeunorgan

izedsectorworkersinhazardousoccupations,

thebudgetoutlayfortheschemehasbeen

broughtdownfromRs446crorein201011(RE)

toRs280crorein201112(BE).InIntegrated

ChildDevelopmentServices(ICDS),thelong

overduedemandforincreasingtheremuneration

ofanganwadiworkersandhelpershasbeen

recognized,withremunerationpermonthbeing

doubledfromRs1,500toRs3,000forworkers,

andfromRs750toRs1500forhelpers.However,

whatisworryinghereisthatthebudgetoutlay

forICDSshowsamuchsmallerincreasefrom

Rs9,280crorein201011(RE)toRs10,000crore

in201112(BE).

Thus,intermsoftheprioritygiventosocialsec

torsandfoodsecurity,Budget201112defiesour

expectations.

SubratDas,executivedirector,CentreforBudget

andGovernanceAccountability

http://

www.livemint.com/2011/02/28200845/

Evading-challenges-in-social-s.html

Thegovernmentwantstoreducethescope

ofitsbudget(asmeasuredbytotalbudget

aryexpenditure)comparedwiththesizeof

Indiaseconomy.So,totalexpenditurefrom

thebudgetwouldshrinkfrom15.4%ofgross

domesticproduct(GDP)in201011(revised

estimate,orRE)to14%ofGDPin201112

(budgetestimate,orBE).Thebruntofthis

conservativefiscalpolicyisgoingtobeborne

bythepoor.

Despiteagrowingrecognitionoftheneed

forsignificantlyexpandingthecoverageof

thepublicdistributionsystemforfoodgrains,

andthepersistenceofinflationinfoodarti

cles,thefoodsubsidyoutlayhasbeencur

tailedfromRs60,600crorein201011(RE)to

Rs60,573crorein201112(BE).Further,the

budgetoutlayforthepetroleumsubsidyhas

beenreducedsignificantlyfromRs38,386

crorein201011(RE)toRs23,640crorein

201112(BE).Giventhepredictionsthat

crudeoilpriceswillrisefurtherincoming

months,areducedsubsidyin201112could

causeafurtherincreaseinpricesofpetro

leumproducts,andhenceapersistenceof

theinflationproblem.

Thetotalbudgetoutlayforsocialsectors

(excludingnonPlancapitalexpenditureon

Grassroots e-journal Page 6

Trends in Social Services Expenditure by Government (Central and State Governments combined) | Source : Economic Survey 2010-11


7/35


BudgetBriefsAccountabilityInitiative

FollowingarethebudgetbriefspreparedbyAccountabilityInitiative,CentreforPolicyResearch.ThesebriefsreportonthePradhanMantri

GramSadakYojanaandTargetedPublicDistributionSystem.

Budgetbriefsareanannualpublicationthatusesgovernmentreporteddatatoreportontheefficacyofgovernmentspendinginflagship

socialsectorprograms.Thebriefsundertakebasicanalysisofallocationandexpendituretrendsandwherepossible,giventhelimitationsof

governmentdata,onoutputsandoutcomes.Theobjectiveofthesebriefsistoprovideasnapshotofsocialsectorprogramsandtopro

moteawiderpublicdebateonthequalityandlimitationsofgovernmentdataforflagshipprograms.Moresuchbriefsareavailableat

http://www.accountabilityindia.in/budgetbriefs.

PradhanMantriGramSadakYojana

Background:ThePradhanMantriGramSadakYojana

(PMGSY)waslaunchedin2000.Theprogrammere

ceivedamajorboostin2005whenGovernmentofIndia

(GOI)integratedPMGSYintoitsBharatNirmanPro

gramme.BharatNirmanisaflagshipGOIefforttoim

proveruralinfrastructure.

Usinggovernmentdata,thisbriefreportsonPMGSY

progressalongthefollowingparameters:

a)Overalltrendsinallocationsandexpenditures,

b)Statewiseprogressonroadworkscompleted,

c)Overallprogressinensuringruralconnectivity.

Cost

Share:

PMGSY

is

a

100%

Centrally

Sponsored

Scheme.50%ofthecessonHighSpeedDieselisear

markedfortheprogramme.PMGSYalsogetsfunds

fromexternalsourcessuchastheWorldBank,National

BankforAgriculturalandRuralDevelopment(NABARD).

FundsarereleasedbytheGOIbasedonproposalssub

mittedbythestate.

CompleteexpendituredataispubliclyavailableuptoFY

200809.DataforFY200910isincomplete.Quarter

wisereleaseandexpendituredataisavailableinthe

DMUreport.

Highlights

SummaryandAnalysis

1.Inthelast5yearsPMGSYallocationshavehadanover3foldincreaseinallocationsupfrom

Rs.3,836croresinFY200506.

2.Underspendingisaseriousproblem.InFY200506,84%oftotalvalueofproposalswas

spentthisdecreasedto48%inFY200809.

3.Therearewideinterstatevariationsinexpenditure.Karnataka,AndhraPradeshandGujarat

areamongstthebetterperformers.

4.Performancelevelsasmeasuredintermsofroadworkscompletedtoovariesacrossstates.

Gujaratspent75%ofitstotalvalueofproposalsinFY200809andcompleted79%ofitssanc

tionedroads.Orissaspent47%ofitsvalueofproposalsbutcompletedonly19%ofitssanc

tionedroads.

5.Therearelargedifferencesintheaveragecostperkilometreofroadbuilt.OrissaandBihar

spentthemostatRs.44lakhandRs.42lakhperkilometrerespectively.TamilNaduandRajast

hanspenttheleastatRs.21lakhandRs.16lakhperkilometrerespectively.

6.Despite11yearsofPMGSY,therehasbeenamere17percentagepointdecreaseinthe

proportionofunconnectedhabitations.

GOIallocationsforPMGSYinFY201011(incrores) Rs.10,886

%releasedoutofvalueofproposalinFY200809 30%

%spentoutofvalueofproposalinFY200809 48%

GOIallocationsforPMGSYinFY201011(incrores) Rs.10,886

%releasedoutofvalueofproposalinFY200809 30%

%spentoutofvalueofproposalinFY200809 48%

ShareofSocialandEconomicServicesinDevelopmentExpenditure|Source:

RBIWebsite

Imagesofflagshipsocialsectorprogrammes ofGoI

Source:Websites


8/35

TrendsinCentralGovernmentAllocationsand

Expenditures

ThePradhanMantriGramSadakYojana(PMGSY)

waslaunchedin2000withtheobjectiveofim

provingruralconnectivity.

Since200506,therehasbeenanearly3fold

increaseinallocations.InFY201011,Rs.10,886

croreswasallocatedtoPMGSY,upfromRs.3,836

croresinFY200506.

PMGSYisademanddrivenscheme.Fundavail

abilityisbasedonproposalssubmittedtothe

centrebystategovernments.50percentof

funds

for

PMGSY

come

from

a

cess

on

High

SpeedDieselofRs.1.50/litre.

PMGSYisa100percentCentrallySponsored

Scheme.Atthestartofthefinancialyear,GOI

setsasideapoolofmoneyintheannualbudget

forPMGSY.Statesprepareproposalsfor

expendituresbasedontheirrequirement,inde

pendentoftheinitialGOIbudget.Accordingto

programmeguidelines,theplanningprocess

beginsattheblocklevel.Blockplansareaggre

gatedatthedistrict.Everydistrictthusprepares

DistrictRuralRoadsPlansthataresenttothe

statelevelagenciesandtheNationalRuralRoads

DevelopmentAgency.Oncereceived,these

proposalsareevaluatedandapprovedbyGOI.

ExpenditurePerformance:Fundsforapproved

projectsaremadeavailabletotheStateRural

RoadsDevelopmentAuthority(SRRDA)intwo

installments.Sinceitsinceptionin2000,atotal

ofRs.1,04,704croreshasbeensanctionedfor

PMGSY,ofwhichRs.78,338crores(75percent)

hasbeenreleased.

Asthereleasenumberssuggest,underspending

isrampantinPMGSY.Thisisbestdemonstrated

bycomparingthevalueofproposalssubmitted

bystategovernmentsandapprovedbyGOIwith

theactualmoneyspent.InFY200506,84per

centoftotalvalueofproposalswasspent.InFY

200809,only48percentofthiswasspent.

Underspendingisinextricablylinkedtothenatureof

GOIreleases.AsPMGSYhasprogressed,GOIreleaseof

fundstostateshasreduced.InFY200809,30percent

fundswerereleased.DelayinGOIreleaseisaconse

quenceofdelayedstatespending,whichinturnaf

fectsspendingcapacityasaproportionofthevalueof

proposals.Theresult: aviscouscycleoflowrelease

andlowexpenditures

Thesenumbersneedtobeunderstoodinthecontext

oftheoverallnatureofreportingforPMGSY.Inthe

currentreportingstructure,expendituresarerecorded

onthebasisofvalueofproposals.Soifexpenditures

foranFY200506proposalisincurredinanyyear

otherthanFY200506,itstillgetsbookedasexpendi

tureincurredinFY200506.Thisisthereasonwesee

asignificantdecreaseinreleaseandexpenditurefor

FY200809whencomparedwithFY200506.

TrendsinAllocationsandExpendituresattheState

Level

Inthisoverallenvironmentofunder spending,state

expenditureperformanceshowssomevariations.

Karnataka,AndhraPradeshandGujaratareamongst

thebetterperformers.

InFebruary2011,Biharreportedspending57percent

ofitsfundsforFY200506andonly15percentforFY

200809.GiventhatBiharhas,inrecentyears,signifi

cantlyenhanceditseffortsonimprovingruralinfra

structure,itsachievementof57percentofitsFY2005

06targetscouldwellbeaconsequenceofmorerecent

effortsratherthanachievementsinthatyear.

RajasthanandPunjabhavemanagedtomaintaina

steadyexpenditureperformance85percentand93

percentrespectivelyinFY200506and71percentand

70percentinFY200809.Thisindicatesthattheplan

ningandsequencingofworksinthesestateshasbeen

wellharmonizedovertheyears.

Coverage

Performancelevelsvaryacrossstates.Despiteacon

sistentincreaseinallocations,thereisagrowingdis

paritybetweenroadssanctionedandroadscom

pleted.

Gujaratspent75percentofitstotalvalueof

proposalsinFY200809andcompleted79

percentofitssanctionedroads.Similarly,

Punjabspent70percentandbuilt69percent

ofitssanctionedroads.

Orissaspent47percentofitsvalueofpropos

alsbutcompletedonly19percentofitssanc

tionedroads.

Budget Briefscontinued

Page 8Grassroots


9/35

Thepaceofprogress,asindicatedbythepercent

ageofroadworkscompletedseemstohave

sloweddownconsiderablybetweenFY200506

andFY200809.WhileMaharashtraandChhattis

garhwereabletocomplete95and94percentof

theirroadworkssanctionedinFY200506respec

tively,thissharplydroppedto15and32percent

forprojectssanctionedinFY200809.Again,this

couldbeduetobackdatedreportingpatterns.

Therearelargedifferencesintheaveragecostper

kilometreofroadbuilt.OrissaandBiharspentthe

mostatRs.44lakhandRs.42lakhperkilometre

respectively.TamilNaduandRajasthanspentthe

leastatRs.21lakhandRs.16lakhrespectively.

Despite11yearsofPMGSY,therehasbeena

mere17percentagepointdecreaseinthepropor

tionofunconnectedhabitations.

Accordingtotheschemedesign,connectivitytohabitationsisprioritisedbypopulationsize.However,

accordingtogovernmentdata,higherpopulationareas(1000+)havewitnessedonlya9percentagepoint

increaseinconnectivityin11years.Lowpopulationareashavedoneevenworsewithonlya2percentage

pointimprovementinconnectivity.LargerhabitationsarelikelytobeintheCoreNetwork,andassuch

areeasiertolinkthroughneworupgradedroads.Thedifficultyofconnectingsmallerhabitationswhich

arebroughtundertheCoreNetworkandtheRuralRoadsPlanisgoingtoincreaseinthefuture.Scheme

designandmonitoringphysicalandfinancialprogresswillbecriticalforthefuturesuccessofthePMGSY.

Budget Briefs Continued

TargetedPublicDistributionSystem

Background:Inordertoensurefoodsecurity,theGov

ernmentofIndia(GOI)providesfoodsubsidytociti

zens.TheTargetedPublicDistributionSystem(TPDS)is

theprimaryvehicleusedfordeliveryofthissubsidy.

Usinggovernmentreporteddata,thisbriefreportson

TPDStrendsalongthefollowingparameters:

a)Allocationoffoodsubsidy,

b)Procurementandstockoffoodgrains,and

c)CoverageanddistributionofTPDS.

CostShareandImplementation:GOIsCommissionof

AgriculturalCostandPrices(CACP)fixestheprocure

mentpricefromfarmersorMinimumSupportPrices

(MSPs).Withtheexceptionofsomestates,grainsare

procuredcentrallybytheFoodCorporationofIndia

(FCI).Responsibilityfordistributionoffoodgrainsto

beneficiariesrestswiththestategovernmentsthrough

theTPDS.GrainsaredistributedattheCentralIssue

Price(CIP).

Completedataonallocationandofftakeisavailableon

FCIwebsitefrom200203till200910.

Highlights

Summary and Analysis

1. The Government of Indias (GOI) food subsidy bill has

more than doubled since FY 200506. In FY 200910,

GOIs food subsidy accounted for 0.9% of Indias GDP.

2. FCIs current stock of foodgrains is significantly

higher than the minimum buffer requirement. In April

2009, while the buffer norm for rice was 122 lakh ton

nes, FCIs actual stock was 216 lakh tonnes a difference

of 94 lakh tonnes.

3. The excess stock of wheat is even higher. In July 2009,

the actual stock exceeded the norm by 158 lakh tonnes.

4. Poor storage and transit facilities accounted for a loss

of Rs.101 crore and Rs.133 crore respectively in FY

200809.

5. Overall offtake as a proportion of allocated foodgrains

has improved from 50% in FY 200506 to 81% in FY

200910. TPDS has also seen a large improvement. For

instance, Gujarat lifted 96% of wheat up from 18% in FY

200506.

6. In the last 5 years, allotment of foodgrains for APL

families has decreased by 22 percentage points. During

the same period, BPL allotment increased by approxi

mately 10 percentage points.

Trendsatthecentrallevel

TheGovernmentofIndias(GOI)allocationfor

foodsubsidyhasmorethandoubledsinceFY

200506.InFY201011,Rs.55,211croreswas

allocatedfortheprovisionoffoodsubsidyby

GOI.Thiswasamarginal5percentdropfrom

thepreviousyear.

AsapercentageofGDP,GOIfoodsubsidyallo

cationinFY200910was0.9percent.When

measuredasapercentageoftotalexpenditure

incurredbyGOIandstategovernments,food

subsidyaccountsfor2.8percentoftotalexpen

diture.

FoodgrainsareprocuredbytheFoodCorpora

tionofIndia(FCI).Themainobjectivesofpro

curementare:a)toprovideremunerativeprices

toproducersorfarmers,b)tobuildupand

maintainastockoffoodgrainsasbufferstocks,

andc)tosupplysubsidisedfoodgrainstothe

poorthroughtheTargetedPublicDistribution

System(TPDS)andotherwelfareschemes.

TheFCIprocuresfoodgrainsfromproducersat

predeterminedprices,knownasMinimum

SupportPrices(MSP).Thesehavebeenfixedby

theGOIfor25essentialcommodities,including

rice,wheat,paddyandsugar.

Themainfoodgrainsprovidedthroughthefood

subsidyregimearericeandwheat.InFY2008

09,88percentofthesewereprocuredfrom7

states.


GOIallocationforfoodsubsidyin

FY201011(incrores)

Rs.55,211

Foodsubsidyasa%ofGDPinFY

200910

0.9%


10/35

ForFY200809,Punjabwasthehighestsupplierofrice

andwheatat32percent.AndhraPradesh,Haryanaand

UttarPradeshprovided15,14and13percentrespec

tively.

PunjabandHaryanawerethelargestsuppliersof

wheatat42and27percentrespectively.Punjabalso

contributedamajorportionofriceprocurementat25

percent.AndhraPradeshaccountedfor27percentof

riceprocurement.

Onaverage,foodgrainproductionhasbeengrowingat

3.4milliontonnesperyearsince197374.Accordingto

thefourthandfinaladvanceestimates,FY200809saw

thehighestproductionoffoodgrainsat234million

tonnes.InFY200910,Indiafacedseveredrought

conditions,butthisseemstohavehadamarginal

effectonproductionasoverallproductiondeclinedby

only16milliontonnesto218milliontonnesinthat

year.

ProcurementoffoodgrainsbyFCIandstateshasalso

increased.AccordingtoFCIdataaccessedinFebruary

2011,57milliontonnesoffoodgrainswereprocuredin

FY200809.

Increaseinprocurementisinpartaconsequenceof

increasedproduction.Equallytheprocurementprocess

hasundergoneasignificantdesignchangewithan

increasingnumberofstatesprocuringgrainslocally.In

FY200809,8.9milliontonnesofriceandwheatwere

procuredthroughdecentralisedprocurementby

states.Accordingtoprovisionalfigures,ason22De

cember2010,atotalofRs.9,376croreoffoodsubsidy

hasbeenreleasedtovariousStatesunderdecentral

isedprocurementoperationsinFY201011.

BufferStock

Animportantobjectiveofthefoodsubsidyprogramme

isthemaintenanceofacentralpooloffoodgrainsto

serveasabufferstock.Bufferstocksaremaintained

for:a)supplyingfoodgrainstoTPDSandotherwelfare

schemes,b)tomeetemergencysituationsarisingout

ofunexpectedcropfailuresornaturaldisastersand,c)

tomoderatefoodgrainpricesthroughmarketinterven

tions.Inaddition,30lakhtonnesofwheatand20lakh

tonnesofricearemaintainedasstrategicreserves.

Budget Briefs Continued

Inconsonancewiththeincreaseinproductionand

procurement,bufferstockoffoodgrainshasalsobeen

increasing.By2009,theactualstockoffoodgrainwas

muchhigherthantheminimumbuffernorms.

SinceJanuary2009,ricereserveshavebeenconsistently

morethantheminimumrequirement.Forinstance,inApril

2009,whilethebuffernormforricewas122lakhtonnes,

theactualstockwas216lakhtonnesadifferenceof94

lakh

tonnes.

Excessreservesaremuchgreaterinthecaseofwheat.

SinceJuly2008,thegapbetweentheactualstockand

thenormshasbeensteadilyincreasing.Forinstance,in

July2009,whilethebufferrequirementforwheatwas

171lakhtonnes,theactualstockwas329lakhtonnes

adifferenceof158lakhtonnes.

LiftingofFoodgrains

Inthelastfiveyears,therehasbeenanim

provementintheproportionoffoodgrainslifted

(includingdecentralisedprocurement)outof

thetotalallocations.InFY200506,only50

percentofallocatedgrainswerelifted.This

jumpedinFY200708to84percent,decreasing

marginallyto81percentinFY200910.

Gapsexistinstorageandtransportationof

foodgrainsbytheFCI.

InFY200607,Rs.156croreswerelostdueto

poorstorageoffoodgrainsandalossofRs.134

croreswasincurredintransportationof

foodgrains.

Lossesduetopoorstorageandtransportation

continuedtobehighinFY200809atRs.101

croresandRs.133croresrespectively.

TargetedPublicDistributionSystem

Distributionoffoodgrainstothepoorisensured

throughtheTPDSwhichoperatesthrougha

networkofFairPriceShopsorrationshops

throughoutthecountry.



11/35

AllotmentandLiftingofTPDSfoodgrains

Overtheyears,therehavebeensignificant

variationsintotalallotmentoffoodgrainsto

BelowPovertyLine(BPL),AbovePovertyLine

(APL)andAntyodayaAnnaYojana(AAY)fami

liesundertheTPDS.Themostsignificant

changehasbeenthereductioninallotmentof

foodgrainstoAPLfamiliesasaproportionof

totalTPDSallotment.Inthelast5years,allot

menthasdecreasedby22percentagepoints.

Duringthesameperiod,BPLallotmentin

creasedbyapproximately10percentagepoints

However,yearonyeartrendsshowinteresting

results.TheprimaryreasonforthedropinAPLallotmentsisachangeinnorms.Accordingly,

since200506,allotmentisnowdeterminedon

thebasisofavailabilityincentralpoolandpast

offtakeatthestatelevel.Consequently,states

withlowofftakeduringtheprecedingthree

yearswereallottedlessfoodgrainsforAPL

households.InFY200910,theAPLallotment

sawasignificantincrease.Thiswasonaccount

ofSupremeCourtinterventionswithregardto

thelargequantityofrottingfoodgrains.Su

premeCourtinterventionresultedinGOIre

leasing25millionmetrictonnesofgraintoAPL

families.Thus,APLallotmentasaproportionof

totalTPDSallotmentincreasedbyabout10

percentagepoints.

ConsequenttotheoverallincreaseinAPLallot

ment,thetotalfoodgrainallotmentforBPLasa

proportionoftotalTPDSallotmentreducedby

about7percentagepointsfromFY200809.

Trendsatthestatelevel

Stategovernmentsareresponsibleforidentifi

cationofbeneficiaries,issuanceofrationcards

anddistributionoffoodgrainstobeneficiaries

throughrationshops.

SinceFY199798,11statesincludingMadhya

Pradesh,WestBengal,UttarPradesh,Tamil

NaduandKeralaamongstothers,havebegun

toprocuregrainsfromwithinthestate.

AcrossIndia,offtakeofwheatforTPDS(includingdecen

tralisedprocurement)asaproportionofallocationhas

seena51percentagepointincrease.However,largevaria

tionsexistatstatelevel.InFY200506,BiharandGujarat

collectedonly30and25percentofallocatedwheatunder

TPDS,whileJharkhandcollected78percent.

Differencesalsoexistfromyeartoyear.WhileJharkhand

decreaseditsofftakeasapercentageofallocationinFY

200910,formostotherstates,therehasbeenasignifi

cantimprovement.Orissa,TamilNaduandMadhya

Pradeshincreasedtheirofftakeasaproportionofalloca

tionby63,63and54percentagepointsrespectively.

AkeyreasonfortheincreaseinMadhyaPradeshisgreater

decentralisedofftakefrom4.5lakhtonnesinFY200506

tonearly16lakhtonnesinFY200910.

TamilNadureportedliftingmorethan100percentofits

allocations.Thisisbecauseofliftingagainstbacklogof

previousyears.

AcrossIndia,theofftakeofriceasaproportionoftotal

allocationsforTPDS(includingdecentralisedprocurement)

improvedfrom46percentinFY200506to98percentin

FY200910.

Moststateshavealsoshownsignificantim

provementsduringthesefiveyears.InFY

200910,BiharandJharkhandhaveincreased

theirofftakeby54and53percentagepoints

respectively.

Gujarathasshownthelargestincrease,from

18percentinFY200506,to96percentinFY

200910.

Coverage

Rationcardsareissuedbystateandunion

territorygovernmentstoAPL,BPLandbene

ficiariesunderAAY.

Therearealargenumberoffakerationcards

issuedcausinginefficienciesintargeting.

BetweenJuly2006andJuly2010,inBihar,

MadhyaPradesh,UttarPradeshand

Orissaatotalof37lakhineligible/fakeration

cardsforhouseholdshavebeeneliminated.

Additionally,inMaharashtraandAndhra

Pradesh29lakhand25lakhineligibleration

cardswerediscoveredandcancelled.

Giventheincreaseinproductionandpro

curement,

the

fact

that

food

security

contin

uestobeachronicproblemisclearlylinked

topoordelivery.TheGlobalHungerIndex

releasedinOctober2010,placedIndiaina

groupof29countrieswithalarminglevelsof

hunger.Indiawasrankedbelowothercoun

trieslikedChina,SriLanka,Pakistanandeven

belowseveralcountriesinSubSaharanAf

rica,suchasKenyaandNigeria.

Budget Briefscontinued

Page 11Grassroots


12/35

Auditingtheindicators

Page 12Grassroots

FollowingarethecontentsofIssuespaperpre

paredforaworkshoponKeyIndicatorsandPublicAccountabilityheldinCAGsoffice.

Accountability&PerformanceAuditing

Therehasbeenaprogressiveshiftofstakeholder

concernsbeyondbudgetarycontrolandregular

ityofpublicexpendituretotheoutcomeand

impactofStatesinterventionsinthedevelop

mentprocess.SupremeAuditInstitutionsin

deferencetostakeholdersinterests,havealso

starteddevotinggreaterresourcestoperform

anceauditing.Apartfromtheeconomyand

efficiencyinuseofresourcesingovernment

programmesandschemes,performanceaudits

alsoevaluateeffectivenessofperformancein

relationtotheachievementoftheobjectivesof

theauditedentityandauditoftheactualimpact

ofactivitiescomparedwiththeintendedimpact.

Performanceauditingandindicators

Criticaltoevaluationofeffectivenesswillbethe

adoptionofanappropriatecriteria.Presenceofa

widelyacceptedsystemofkeyindicatorsinareas

suchashealth,education,ruraldevelopment,

population,poverty,infrastructure,environment,

etcwouldprovideauniformsetofcriterianot

merelyforperformanceauditsbyanSAIbutalso

evaluationbyotheragencies(externalandinter

nal).Unfortunatelythereisnocomprehensive

systemavailable.Divergentpracticescontinueto

befollowedbymultilateralagencies,national

governmentsandacademics.Coupledwiththe

inconsistentqualityofstatisticalinformation

withinandacrosscountriesthereisalwaysscope

fordivergenceofviewsonperformanceevalua

tion.

Inadditiontoperformanceappraisal,indicators

wouldfacilitateotherpurposesaswell:

(a)Understandingthemutualinterdependence

ofvariouspolicies/programmes;

(b)Assesspositionandprogressoftheeconomy

overtime,acrossthecountriesandacrossthe

regionswithinacountry.

(c)Providecrucialguidancefordecisionmaking

inidentifyingandtransitiontowardssustainabil

ity,and

(d)Toprovideinformationtogeneralpublicin

formsthatnonspecialistscanrelatetoandthus

strengthentheaccountabilitymechanismofgovernance.

Indicators&resultbasedbudgetingIndicatorsplayamorecriticalroleinorganizationsthathave

movedtoresultbasedbudgetinge.g.UNagencies.Intheir

caseappropriationsaresoughtforprespecifiedoutcomes

andimpactsasreflectedinindicators.Subsequentcompli

anceandaccountabilityisalsomeasuredwithreferenceto

theseindicators.Thereisnowanincreasingtrendfrominput

oroutlaybudgetingtoresultbasedbudgeting.Insuchcon

texts,clarityandconsensusonindicatorsisextremelyneces

sary.Furthermore,ifindicatorsbecomeintegraltostake

holderreporting,independentandexternalverification

(equivalenttoassuranceonfinancialstatements)should

becomeessential.Acomprehensivesystemofindicators

wouldinfactsubstituteforaccountingstandardsanddisclo

surenormsinsuchanenvironment.

IndiasexperiencewithIndicators

Compilingofstatisticalinformationonvariouseconomicand

socialparametershasbeenintegraltothepathofplanned

developmentofIndia.ThePlanningCommission,NSSOand

CSOhavebeencoordinatingeffortsinthisregard.Several

administrativeMinistrieshavebeenusingindicatorstofix

targetsandreportonperformance.Amajornewinitiative

wastheHumanDevelopmentReportcompiledbythePlan

ningCommissionin2001whichused70indicators.The

ReportalsousedconceptsofHumanDevelopmentIndexand

HumanPovertyIndexapartfromindicesofgendergapsand

ruralurbandifferences.Thereisalsoamovetowardsdevel

opingindicatorsofsustainabledevelopmentindicatorsfor

India.

Framingcomprehensiveindicatorsconsiderations

Severalfactorswouldneedtobeconsideredwhileframing

indicators.Someoftheseare:policyrelevance,conceptual

issuessuchastheabilitytoaggregateinformation,capturing

thecontextandprocess,sensitivity,availabilityandreliability

ofdata,numberofindicators.

AuditofIndicators

ApartfromtheusefulnessofindicatorstoSAIsindischargeof

theirperformanceaudits,indicatorscouldthemselvesbe

objectsofauditscrutinyofSAIs.Forinstance,SAIsmightlook

toseewhetherindicators:

(a)Havepolicyrelevancewhichmeanstheymustbeeasyto

interpret;showtrendsovertime;respondtochangesin

drivingforces;andhavethresholdorreferencevaluesagainst

whichprogresscanbemeasured.

(b)Areanalyticallysound,forexamplebasedonaclear

understandingofthegoalofsustainabledevelopment;

(c)Aremeasurable,thatis,nomatterhowattrac

tivethetheoreticalconstruct,ifanindicator

cannotbemeasuredatreasonablecost,itisnot

useful.

Performanceauditsusingindicatorsandtargets

Iftargetsandassociatedindicatorsarefoundor

thoughttobetechnicallysound,comparisons

betweenthemshouldrevealtheprogressthat

hasbeenmade.Thescopeofauditcanbeas

under:

(a)Ifthedeadlineofthetargethasalready

passed,anauditcansimplycommentonwhether

thetargethasbeenachieved.Auditattentioncan

shifttowardsexplainingwhythetargethasorhas

notbeenachieved,orthecostandefficiencyof

thepoliciesusedtoattainthetarget,oranyunin

tendedconsequencesofthosepolicies

(b)Ifthedeadlineisstillsomewayoff,thenan

auditshouldfocusonwhetherthetargetislikely

tobemetifcurrenttrendscontinue.

IndicatorsIssuesforAuditor

SAIswillneedtoaddressthefollowingissues:

(a)RoleofAuditindevelopingindicators:should

audittakeproactiveactionlikeGAOorreview

themaftertheyhavebeendeveloped?

(b)ShouldAuditreviewtheperformanceasre

flectedinindicators

(c)Shouldperformanceindicatorsbereviewedas

partoffinancialaudit,particularlyiftheaudited

entityadoptsresultsbasedbudgetinganddis

closesinformationonperformanceindicatorsasa

partoffinancialstatements?

(d)Whatskillsareneededtoreviewindicators

anddowehavethem?

(e)Howmuchofrelianceshouldauditedentityandauditplaceonquantitativeperformance

indicatorsvisavisqualitativeevaluations?

(f)Shouldauditreviewtheprocessofdeveloping

performanceindicatorsorcommentontherele

vanceandappropriatenessoftheindicators?

Howshouldaudittackletheproblemofpossible

conflictingvalidationsofperformanceagainstnon

financialindicatorsbydifferentexperts?

Articles

SomeUsefulLinksMP Rural Livelihoods projects http://www.mprlp.in/projectdoc.htm

UP Govt orders and circulars http://www.upgos.com/Index.htm

Information on RTI of Bijnor district (Similar information in respect of other dis-tricts are also available)

http://bijnor.nic.in/departments/dptmnt.htm

Independent Peoples Tribunal on the World Bank Group in India http://www.worldbanktribunal.org/issues.html

Website developed by the US Office of Management and Budget and Federalagencies to assess the performance of every Federal program

http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/expectmore/about.html

Study Reports under NREGA http://www.nrega.net/pin/reports-and-resources/

State Institute of Rural Development, Mysore http://www.sirdmysore.gov.in/

Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability http://www.cbgaindia.org/


13/35

StatusofPRIs:ThethreetierPanchayatsys

temwasprovidedunderBiharPanchayatRaj

Act

1993

but

elections

were

not

held

till

2000.

Lastelectionswereheldintheyear1978and

allthethreetierlocalbodiesweredissolvedin

1997bytheHonbleSupremeCourt.Inthe

meantime,aNewStateJharkhandwascre

ated(Nov.2000)andanewActi.eJharkhand

PanchayatRajAct2001wasenactedbythe

StateGovernment.Theprocessforconductof

electionwasinitiatedunderPanchayatExten

sionforScheduleArea(PESA)Act,butthe

electioncouldnotbeheldduetosomelegal

implicationstilltheendof2009.Finally,a

constitutionbenchoftheSupremeCourtup

heldtheprovisionsofthereservationofseats

ofchairpersonatallthreelevelsofthe

Panchayatsinscheduledortribalareas.This

decisiongavegreensignaltoPESAAct,1996

thatpavedthewayforPanchayatelectionin

Jharkhand.Accordingly,electionstoPRIswere

conductedafteragapof32yearsduringNov

Dec2010.

Devolutionof3Fs: Atpresent,StateGovern

mentisplanningtodevolveonlysixfunctions

outof29enlistedintheeleventhschedules

relatingtoRuralDevelopment,HumanRe

sourcesDevelopment,waterResources,social

welfare,foodsupplyetc.alongwiththirteenth

FinanceCommissionGrants.

TrainingtoPRIsrepresentatives/officials For

efficientfunctionofselfgovernance,Govt.is

planningtoimpacttrainingto53207elected

representatives.Themoduletobeusedfor

trainingpurposehasbeenpreparedandsub

mittedbytheconsultancyagencyAFCI,New

DelhitotheGovernment.Eightmoduleshave

beenpreparedthroughwhichelectedrepre

sentativeswouldbemadeacquaintedwith

executionoffunctionsenlistedintheeleventh

scheduleandrunningofPanchayatadmini

stration.Trainingwouldbeimpartedinthree

phases.

ArrangementforAuditofPRIs StateGovern

mentdeclaredtheExaminerofLocalAc

counts,Jharkhandasauditauthorityunder

section137(1)ofJharkhandPanchayatRaj

Act,2001.Atpresent,onlythefirsttwotiers

ofPRIsareauditedandauditofGramPancha

yatsisnotbeingconductedasthesewerenon

functionalforwantelections.Recently,elec

tionsofGramPanchayatshavebeencom

pleted(December2010)andnotificationsare

inprocessthatwouldpavethewayforaudit

ofGramPanchayatsbytheExaminer

PRIsinJharkhand|ExaminerofLocalAccounts,Jharkhand


From Field Offices

DainikBhaskar|24November2011

RegionalNews|AGGoa


14/35

PalakkaddistrictinKeralais

famousforitsPalmyrahsand

Paddyfields.TheCentrefor

ManagementDevelopment,

Thiruvananthapuramwasen

trustedtheworkofpreparation

ofdistrictplanofPalakkaddis

trictforBRGFgrants.BRGF

beingafundtoaddressthe

backwardnessofthedistrict,a

normativeformulawasdevel

opedfortheallocationofBRGF

betweenRuralandUrbanLocal

SelfGovernments.Asperthe

formula,thetotalfundwas

dividedbetweenRuraland

UrbanLocalSelfGovernmentsin

theratioof94.86:5.14bygiv

ingadditionalweightagetothe

ruralpopulationofthedistrict.

Theprovisionwasfurtherallo

catedtoruralLSGsintheratio

of50:40:10amongDistrict

Panchayats,GramPanchayats

andBlockPanchayats.Higher

importancewasgiventoDistrict

Panchayatstoenablethedistrict

toidentifyprojectswhichhave

morerelevanceintermsof

DistrictPerspective.

Forpreparationofplans,needs

wereidentifiedatGPlevels

throughparticipatorymethods

andthenwereconvertedinto

proposals/projects.Thefinancial

resourcesfromBRGFwasutilisedbothasasupplementary

andgapfillingresourcetomeet

theinadequacyoffinancefor

theoveralldevelopmentofthe

district.

Duringtheprocessofidentifyingthe

activities/projectstoutiliseBRGFFund

fortheoveralldevelopmentofthe

districttomakeitatparwithother

developeddistrictsofthecountry,the

followingweaknessesweretakeninto

consideration.

Palakkadisadroughtprone

district

Deterioratingirrigationfacilities

Scarcityofdrinkingwater

Inadequateinfrastructuralfacili

tiesineducationsector,espe

ciallyinHigherSecondaryEdu

cation

Inadequacyofinfrastructure

facilitiesinthehealthsector

Inadequateinfrastructurefacili

tiesforwomenandchilddevel

opment,especiallyAnganwadis

Peoplewithoutsheltersbelong

ingtogeneralBPLcategory

Gapsinruralandurbanelectrifi

cation

Inadequatefacilitiesforcollec

tionandtreatmentofsolid

waste,especiallyinurbanareas

Severalseniorcentralandstategovernmentofficials,acade

miciansandrepresentativesfrominternationalandnational

developmentandnongovernmentalorganizations(NGOs)alongwithalargerepresentationofDistrictPlanningCom

mittees(DPCs),discussedissuesofrelevancetotheDPCs,

rangingfromtheprocessofplanning,financialallocation

andempowermentofDPCs,totheirroleintheimplementa

tionofnationalprogrammes.

Article243ZDoftheConstitutionofIndiamandatesthe

settingupofDPCsineverystate.TheDPCsareintendedto

consolidatetheplanspreparedbythepanchayatsandthe

municipalitiesinthedistrict,andtoprepareadraftdevelop

mentplanfortheentiredistrict.However,theprogressin

formationofDPCshavebeenslow,withonly19stateshav

ThenationalconferenceofChairpersons/CEOs

of

District

Planning

Committees

was

held

at

VigyanBhawan,NewDelhiinJanuary2009.

FollowingistheExecutiveSummaryofthe

Conference:

TheConferenceofChairpersonsofDistrict

PlanningCommittees,organizedbytheMinistry

ofPanchayatiRaj,sawthepresenceofdignitar

iesincludingDrManmohanSingh,Honourable

PrimeMinisterofIndia,ShriManiShankar

Aiyar,UnionMinisterforPanchayatiRaj,andDr

CRangarajan,MemberofParliament,Rajya

Sabha.

ingimplementedArticle243ZDintheright

spirit.

The73rdAmendmentoftheIndianConstitu

tionpavesthewayforgrassrootsparticipa

tioningovernanceandbringspeoples

planningtotheforefront.Localself

governancehasnotonlyenabledsocialand

politicalempowermentbutalsoensured

democratizationwithregularelectionsto

localgovernments.

Participatoryplanningiscrucialinextending

theprocessofdecentralizationthrough

localinstitutions.Thisrequiresacommit

menttopanchayatirajandlocalself

District Planning

NationalConferenceofChairpersons/CEOsofDistrictPlanningCommittees

Page 14Grassroots

SummaryofDistrictPlanunderBRGFforPalakkadDistrict,Kerala

Indicators Weightage (%)Gram Pancha-

yat

Block

Panchayat

Municipality

Total population 15 15 28

Tribal population 22 22 22

SC population 15 15 15

Geographical area excluding area under

forest5 8 5

Area under paddy 8 Nil Nil

Own income of GP 5 Nil Nil

Composite index of Agri. Labours,persons engaged in livestock, fisheries

and marginal workers

15 25 Nil

Composite index of backwardness:houses without latrine, electricity and

water connection

Nil Nil 20

Illiteracy rate 5 5 5

NREGA participation 5 10 NA

Number of Hospital beds 5 0 5

Total 100 100 100

Weightages for distribution of BRG fund in Palakkad

Basedontheaboveweightages,the

detailsofworkstobeundertakenand

the

fund

required

for

different

schemes

tobeimplementedin5years(FY08

FY12)areasalongside:

Sector/Scheme BRGF Amount(Lakh Rs)

Number of works

Agriculture 720.00 13Animal Husbandry 43.49 4Consultancy 337.00 14

Drinking water supply schemes 938.93 53Fisheries 137.00 5Industries 193.25 4Infrastructure 5323.62 159Irrigation 631.46 25Poverty Alleviation 360.00 4Power 530.75 15Training 49.50 8Total 9400.00 311


15/35

governance.Localplanningrequiresabottom

upapproach,necessitatingthedevelopmentof

asoundvisionatthecommunityandvillage

levels.Italsorequiresaproactiveroleofthelocallevelinstitutionsattheplanningandim

plementationstages.

Implementationofnationallevelschemes

whiletakingintoconsiderationthespecific

regionalandlocaldisparities,atthelocallevel,

canincreaseeffectivenessoftheseschemes.

Humandevelopmentissuesoreconomicissues

alsorequireplanningatthelocallevelforeffec

tivemanagement.

ThoughtheDPCsareexpectedtoconsolidate

theoveralldistrictdraftplan,theystillhaveto

covermuchground.DPCsneedtobestrength

enedtoensuretheirdynamicroleintheplan

ningprocess.

Inthisdirection,theManualforIntegrated

DistrictPlanninghasbeenpreparedbyaTask

forceincludingrepresentativesfromtheMinis

tryofPanchayatiRaj,MinistryofUrbanDevel

opment,PlanningCommission,StateSecretar

ies,representativesofNGOsandacademicians.

TheManualsuggestsmappingofthedistrict

dataandresources.Italsoadvocatestheroleof

theDPCasaleaderintheprocessofformulat

ingthevisionforthedistrict,withdistrictad

ministrationandlinedepartmentscontributing

asanintegralpartoftheenvisioningteam.The

visionofthedistrictneedstobepreparedfor

thelongtermandfiveyearperspectiveand

annualplanswouldreflectthisvision.Conver

genceofresources,processesandinitiativesis

thekeytothesuccessoftheplanningprocess.

Technologyaidstheprocessofplanningby

providingtransparenttoolsforcollection,dis

seminationandanalysisofdata.Judicioususe

oftechnologyforallocationofresourcesisof

paramountimportance,asitpreventsleakage

andincreasesefficiency,thus,leadingtoim

provedoutcomes.

Tofacilitatedistrictplanningandmapping,

specificinformationandcommunicationtech

nology(ICT)toolsareavailable.Theseinclude

PRIASOFTandPLANPLUSdevelopedbyMinis

tryofPanchayatiRajandNationalInformatics

Centre(NIC).EventuallyICTwouldhelpinre

placingmanualworkingandalsoimprovethe

qualityofplanningandimplementation.

Inadequatesupportfortheplanningprocessis

acauseforconcern.Lackofexpertiseatthe

stateanddistrictleveltopreparetechnically

andfinanciallysoundplanshasadirectimpact

onthedistrictlevelplanningefforts.Analysisof

baselevelindicatorsinhumanandeconomic

developmentiscrucial,whichinturnnecessi

tatescapacityenhancementanddevelopment

oftechnicalsupportbase.

Rigidityinpracticesoffundallocationalongwiththefail

ureofthebottomupapproachinplanningtotakeroot,

hassetbacktheplanningprocess.Strengtheningthisproc

essatthedistrictandstatelevelwouldconsolidateand

reinforcetheplanningprocessatthenationallevel.

Itisalsoimperativethatpanchayatsstrengthentheirown

resourcebase.Thiscouldbethroughtaxesorother

sources.Thoughthereareprovisionsandfinancialalloca

tionsforlocalgovernments,thesegovernmentsshould

alsomakeeffortstowardsraisingtheirownresources.

Accesstovariousavenuesofincomegenerationandprop

ertytaxationcanstrengthentheirfinancialbase.

Thegovernmentpolicysuggestssupportforplanningin

backwarddistricts,althoughhandholdingandsimilarsup

porttootherdistrictsisalsorequiredtobuildtheircapac

ityinstrengtheningtheirresourcebasetoconsolidate

effortstowardslocalselfgovernance.Sucheffortswould

requirefinancialreformswithinlocalbodies,supportedby

thepresenceoffinancialmanagementexperts,tofacilitatefinancialdecentralisationandmobilisationofresources.All

theseeffortsshouldbemadenotwithstandingtheneed

foradequatebudgetaryallocationtotheDPCsfortheir

smoothfunctioning.TheStateGovernmentsandState

FinanceCommissionscouldalsoconsiderincentivegrants

forpanchayatsraisingtheirownresources.

InthecontextofnationalflagshipprogrammeslikeJawa

harlalNehruNationalUrbanRenewalMission(JNNURM),a

synergyisrequiredintheeffortsatdifferentlevelsto

identifymattersofcommoninterest.Thisnecessitatesthe

DPCstoplayanactiveroleinlocatingareaswhichconcern

thepanchayatsandthemunicipalities.

Theneedtointegratespatialplanningwithdistrictplans

hasrequiredtakingintoaccounttheavailableresourcesat

everylevel.TheJNNURMprogrammefocusesamong

otherthingsonurbaninfrastructureandimprovementof

governance.ThisrequiresanactiveroleoftheDPCsinthe

developmentofplansfortheruralandurbanareas.

Similarly,CentrallySponsoredSchemes(CSSs)needtobe

comprehensivelyunderstoodtobeintegratedwithother

developmentschemesforthemtoshowcase

effectiveconvergence.HeretooDPCscan

playacrucialrole.

TheDPCsneedtoconsolidateruralandurbanplanstoavoidconflictsbetweentheruraland

urbanareas,forwhichrequisitesupport

needstobeprovidedtothembywayof

expertiseineconomicandspatialplanning,

aswellas,forconsolidationandintegration

ofplans.

StateslikeKeralaentrustthelocalgovern

mentswithonethirdofthestateplanre

sources.Suchinstancesillustratethatlocal

governmentscanplayacentralroleinplan

ningwiththeDPCstakingontheroleofinte

gratingtheselocalplansintotheentiredis

trictplan.

Conceptslikeparticipatoryplanning,conver

gence

and

consolidation

of

plans,

essentially

requireaclearunderstandingoftheprocess

ofplanning.ThiswouldhelptheDPCmem

bersindevelopingaclearunderstandingof

theextentoftheirinvolvementandthepow

ersavailabletothem.TheDPCshavetorec

ognisethemselvesasanintegralpartofthe

developmentandplanningprocesses.Along

side,theyalsoneedtobeequippedwitha

perspectiveofthelongtermvision,forthem

toplayaneffectivepartintheplanningproc

ess.Thus,capacitybuildinginallaspects

concerningplanning,beitICTormanage

mentoffinancialresources,isimperative,

andDPCmembers,panchayatirajinstitutions

(PRIs)andurbanlocalbody(ULB)members

andstaff,linedepartmentofficialsetc.,need

tobeeducatedabouttheirroleinparticipa

torydecentralisedplanningandmonitoring

sothatthecountryseesimprovedoutcomes

fromthehumongousfinancialinvestmentin

developmentplansinruralandurbanareas.

Informationandformsrelatedtobirthanddeath,income

tax,noobjectioncertificatesandconstructiondepartment,

under25headsareavailableonline.

Thecitizendatabankwaseasilypossiblewithallthese

systemsinplace.Theauthoritiesmadethefacilityavailable

onwww.pcmcindia.gov.in.

PCMCcommissioner,AshishSharma,inauguratedthefacil

ityayearandahalfago.Take9Services,afirm,wasgiven

thecontracttosetupthefacility.However,therebeingonly

17namesinthebankafteroneandahalfyears,thecorpo

rationdecidedtoterminatetheproject.Theauthorities

haveclosedthelinkthatwaspreviouslyavailableonthe

PCMCwebsite.http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_pimprichinchwadcorporation

terminatesdatabankplan_1499286

ThecitizendatabankthatthePimpriChinch

wadMunicipalCorporation(PCMC)starteda

yearagohasfailedandthecivicbodyhas

terminatedtheproject.ThePCMCstartedthe

schemetocollectcontactdetailsofcitizens

Thiswouldenablethecorporationtocontact

themforvariousreasons.However,theinfor

mationabouttheschemedidnotreachthe

peopleandthedatabank,whichwastohold

informationof13lakhpeople,containsonly

17names.

ThecentralgovernmentsJawaharlal Nehru

NationalUrbanRenewalMission(JNNURM)

hadaskedthecorporationtomaintainan

onlinehelpdeskforthecitizensthroughthee

governancescheme.

NationalConferenceofChairpersons/CEOsofDistrictPlanningCommittees Continued

PimpriChinchwadcorporationterminatesdatabankplan|DNA|26January2011

Page 15Grassroots


16/35

MANGALORE:Mangalorecitytookastepfor

wardtowardsformulationofacomprehensive

citysanitationplan(CSP)asmandatedinthe

recentlyreleasedNationalUrbanSanitationPolicybytheUnionministryofurbandevelop

ment.AworkshoporganisedbytheAdminstra

tiveStaffCollegeofIndia,HyderabadandCity

ManagersAssociationKarnatakasensitised

corporatorsontheneedforacitysanitation

planandhowtogoaboutachievingit.

CorporationcommissionerKNVijayaprakash

saidthegoalofCSPistoachievetotallysani

tizedhealthyandlivablecitiesandtownsandto

enhancelivingstandardsofthecommunity.TheCorpora

tionhasalreadysetupacitysanitationtaskforcethatis

headedbythecommissioner.Thistaskforceisadedicated

policybodythataddressessanitationissuesofthecityand

mobilisesstakeholderstoelevateconsciousnessabout

sanitation.

SnehaMalaKesiraju,seniorresearchassociationofASCI,

Hyderabadsaidthe13thFinanceCommissionhasrecom

mendedthatallurbanlocalbodiestonotifyservicestan

dardsrelatingtowater,sewerage,drainageandsolid

wastesproposedtobeachievedduringthenextfinancial

yearbeforeMarch31eachyear.TheULBsshouldpublish

thestandardsinthestategazetteandputinplaceaplan

fortheirachievement.

TheCitySanitationPlanisa25yeartime

frameapproachwithannualactiontodealing

withthesanitationissues.Itisnotaplanfor

infrastructureworks,shesaid,addingthatit

entailscollaboratingwithstakeholdersto

frameacomprehensiveCSP.Thecorporators

laterdividedintogroupsanddiscussedis

suespertainingtowater,solidwasteman

agement,sewerageandslums.MayorRajani

Duggannainauguratedtheworkshop.http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mangalore/Astep

forwardincitysanitationplanning/

articleshow/7363222.cms

partmentsfordelayingthepurchaseofJNNURMfundedbuses

forthelasttwoyears.

Theministryhasobservedthatprovidingsafeandadequate

watertothemillionsofpeopleacrossthegrowingnumberof

citiesisakeytaskfortheauthorities.Itstatesthattheurban

watersupplyisbesetwithproblemsrelatingtocoverage,qual

ity,pooroperation,maintenanceandsustainability.Citingthe

65thnationalsamplesurveyconductedfrommid2008tomid

2009,thereportstatesthatonly74percentoftheurbanpopu

lationiscoveredwithpipedwatersupply.Alsocitingthesanita

tionratingconductedfor423classonecities,thereportstated

thatdrinkingwatersamplesfromonly39citiesqualifiedonall

thethreebasictestsconductedtocheckwaterqualityatthe

consumerend.

Regardingthepoorstateofsolidwastemanagement,thestra

tegicplanstatesthathardlyanyattentionwasgiventoscientific

disposalofwaste.Similarly,manycitieslackeffectivestorm

drainagesystemsandfaceproblemsduetoillegal,unplanned

developmentandencroachmentsonnaturalareasanddrainage

systems.

Thestrategicplanstatesthattheministrywillcontinuewith

theJNNURMoverthenextfiveyearswithafocusonunfinished

agendaandtoincorporatethelearningduringtheimplementa

tioninthelastfiveyears.

Thecitieshenceforthwillnotonlyberequiredtoimplementthe

mandatoryreforms,butalsoimplementthosereformswhich

wouldbenecessaryforsustainabilityoftheprojectsselectedby

thecity.Thecitieswillalsohavetochooseprojectswhichit

PUNE:Theurbandevelopmentministry,whichhas

comeoutwithastrategicplanforthenextfive

years,wantsallJawaharlalNehruNationalUrban

RenewalMission(JNNURM)citiesinclud

ingPuneandPimpriChinchwadtopreparerevised

citydevelopmentplans.Theministryhasobserved

thatthepresentstateoftheisnotsatisfactoryand

thatthestateofbasicserviceslikewatersupply,

sewage,solidwastemanagement,urbantransport

andhousinghastobeimproveddrastically.

Explainingthebroadstrategyforthenextfive

years,theministryhasstatedthatthethrustareas

willbeprovisionofbasicurbaninfrastructural

servicesincludingwatersupply,sewerage,solid

wastemanagement,stormwaterdrainage,trans

portandegovernance.

Initsobservationsonurbantransport,thereport

statedthatoutofthe85citieswithapopulationof

fivelakhormore,only20citieshaveacitybus

service.Mentioningthatthegovernmenthad

announcedthenationalurbantransportpolicyin

April2006,thestrategicplanstatesthattheminis

trywillcontinuetoworktowardspromotionof

appropriatepublictransportsolutionsinlinewith

thepolicy.

Incidentally,inPuneandPimpriChinchwadcom

mutersgroupshavebeenhighlycriticalofthe

municipalcorporationsandthegovernmentde

wantstoundertakefromthefundsallocatedto

them.

Observingthattheinvestmentsrequiredfor

improvingtheinfrastructuralfacilitiesarevey

large,thestrategicplanhasstatedthatthe

municipalcorporationsneedtomobilisereve

nueattheirlevel.Thereportstatesthatthere

areseveralconstraintswhichhamperthe

effectiveuseofrevenueinstrumentslikeprop

ertytax,buildinglicencefees,stampduty,

advertisementfees,octroiandusercharges.

Italsostatedthatthepropertytaxbaseis

erodedsignificantlyduetopoorinformation

baseandexemptionsgivenbystatesandmu

nicipalcorporations.Thereportstatesthatfull

potentialofpublicprivatepartnerships(PPP)is

notusedbycities.ThePPPscanactasamajor

resourcetobridgetherevenuegapinvarious

developmentalactivities,headded.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/

Ministrypushesforrevisedcitydevelopment

plans/articleshow/7504768.cms

Astepforwardincitysanitationplanning|TimesofIndia|26January2011

Ministrypushesforrevisedcitydevelopmentplans|TimesofIndia|16February2011

MinistryofPanchayatiRajaskStatestoSubmitAnnualPlanfor201112|PIB|11February2011

formforconvergingCentral/Stateschemesandpooling

diverseresourcesthroughtheprocessofbottomupinte

gratedplanningforensuringbetteroutcomes,EachLocal

BodyintheBRGFdistrictsshouldprepareitsAnnualAction

whichistobeconsolidatedastheDraftDistrictPlanbythe

DPCalongwithphysicalandfinancialprogressreportsof

thegrantsreleasedearlierandsendittoMinistrythrough

theStateGovernmentforreleaseoffundslatestbythe

endofthismonth.

Itmaybenotedthatduringthecurrentfinan

cialyear(201011),the1stinstallmentof

DevelopmentGrantofRs.3257.45croreout

oftheEntitlementofRs.4420.00crorehas

beenreleasedto238ofthe250BRGFdis

tricts

TheMinistryofPanchayatiRajhasaskedthe

StatestosubmitAnnualPlanfor201112so

thattimelyandregularflowoffundsthrough

outtheyear201112andsmoothcompletion

oftheprojectsundertakencouldbeensured.In

alettersendtotheChiefSecretariesofallthe

StatestheMinistryhasstressedthatsincethe

BackwardRegionGrantFund(BRGF)isaplat

Page 16Grassroots


17/35


18/35


19/35

-, ,

:

,

-

-

, , ,

-:-

:

-

, ,

:

,

, ,

:

:

:

,

:

:

,

:,, ,

:

: 25

:

:, , ,

25

:

:

50

:

()

:,

:

,

http://www.bhaskar.com/article/RAJ-JOD-development-of-the-citys-dream-

1824199.html

totaloutlaybyDecember31.

Localbodiesfarebadly

ThelocalbodiestoohavenotfaredwellinPlanspending.

OutofRs.2,197.65croreallocatedtothelocalself

governmentinstitutionsintheStatePlan,thelocalbodies

couldspendonlyRs.716.59crore(35percent)asonDe

cember31.

ThegovernmenthadearmarkedRs.2.050croreforthelocal

bodiesinthe2010'11budget.Thegovernmenthadde

ductedRs.147.65crorefromthisasunspentbalanceand

keptRs.4.35croreasunallocatedfundstoprovidespecial

incentivetothebestlocalselfgovernmentinstitution.

Whilethegramapanchayatsandmunicipalitiesutilised39

percentoftheallocatedamountbyDecember31,theshare

ofblockpanchayatswas40percentandthatofdistrict

panchayats36percent.

Worstperformers

Theworstperformershavebeenthemunicipalcorpora

tions,whichtogetherutilisedjust27percentofthealloca

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:Althoughjustone

morequarterremainsforthecloseofthecur

rentfinancialyear,theStateappearstohave

slippedinmeetingitsPlantargetsforthelast

threequarterswiththePlanspendingremain

ingbelow50percentasonDecember31,

2010.

AccordingtothemonthlyPlanreviewcon

ductedbytheStatePlanningandEconomic

AffairsDepartment,basedonreportsreceived

tillJanuary11from90outofthe160imple

mentingofficers,PlanspendinguptoDecem

ber31,2010,cametoonly42percentofthe

totalStatePlanoutlayofRs.10,025crore,the

actualamountbeingRs.4,213.87crore.

TheexpenditureuptotheendofNovember

wasRs.3,708.79crore,representing37percent

oftheoutlay.TheStatewasexpectedto

achieveaPlanspendingof70percentofthe

tiontillthecloseofthelastcalendaryear.

Theimplementationofexternallyaided

projectsalsohasleftmuchtobedesired

withtheutilisationoffundsbeingabare27

percent.Outofthetotaloutlayof

Rs.1,216.48crore,thetotalamountspent

tillDecember31wasRs.324.04crore.

Foodsecurityscheme

Thesamewasthecasewiththe11schemes

forfoodsecurityforwhichthetotaloutlay

cametoRs.111.07crore.Thetotalexpendi

tureonthiscounttillDecember31was

Rs.33.97crores(31percent).

http://www.hindu.com/2011/01/23/

stories/2011012360410100.htm

continued

Only42%spendingtillDecember31|Hindu|23January2011

Page 19Grassroots


20/35

ALLAHABAD:UndertheSwajaldharapro

gramme,

district

administration

is

organising

a

twodayresponsibilityanddutytrainingcamp

forthepresidentsandtreasurersof

grampotablewaterandsanitarycommitteeat

VikasBhawanhereonJanuary27and28.

Presidentsandtreasurersofthecommittee

from82villagesofAllahabadandeightvillages

ofKaushambiwillparticipateinthecamp.

DistrictdevelopmentofficerRCPandeysaidthe

presidentsandtreasurersof45grampancha

yatswouldbeimpartedtraininginthecamp.

Swajaldharaprogrammehasbeenstartedto

improvedrinkingwatersupplyintheruralparts

ofthecountry.

Thekeyelementsoftheschemeincludede

manddrivenandcommunityparticipation

approach;panchayats/communitiestoplan,

implement,operate,maintainandmanageall

drinkingwaterschemes;partialcapitalcost

sharingbythecommunitiesupfrontincash;full

ownershipofdrinkingwaterassetswithgram

panchayats;andfulloperationandmainte

nancebytheusers/panchayats.Theunique

featureoftheschemeisthattheruralfolks

shouldfeelastheownersofthescheme.

Beneficiarygroups,grampanchayatsandblocks

adoptingthereformsprinciplesareeligiblefor

Swajaldharaprojects.

Providingwatersupplyfacilitiesinschoolsand

uncovered,partiallycoveredandwaterscarcity

habitationsandrevivaloftraditionalwater

sourcestoensuredrinkingwatersustainability

canalsobeimplementedunderSwajaldhara

programme.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/

allahabad/Trainingprogrammeforvillage

watercommitteemembers/


acrossthenation."Onlyafewcitieshavemadeprogress.

MostsignedtheMoUwithoutunderstandingthescheme.

Result:Afterfiveyears,only87projectshavebeenimplementedoverall,"saidMukeshMathurfromNationalInsti

tuteofUrbanAffairs.

Goingbytheaamaadmi'sview,theBangalorepictureisno

better."Whateverisonpaperisgood,butwhatwego

throughandseeatgroundzeroistotallydifferent.Whois

monitoringallthese?"askedanangrysoftwareengineer

fromWhitefieldwhohadtobravetrafficbottlenecksto

reachthevenue.

NEWURBANPOLICY

UrbandevelopmentministerSSureshKumarsaidthestate

isreadywithitsnewurbanpolicywithavisionforthenext

30years."Thefinaldraftisexpectedtobeapprovedatthe

BANGALORE:It'snotaboutmoneyorthenum

ber

of

projects.

Involving

people

in

planning

anddevelopmentofacityisthekey.Thiswas

thecruxofadebateanddiscussiononurban

reformsatMunicipalika2011,thethreeday

internationalconferenceandexhibitionthat

startedhereonThursday.Expertsbrainstormed

effectivesolutionstoRs.makingcitieswork'.

Thepilottechnicalsessionfocussedonthe

muchdebatedurbanreformproject Jawaharal

NehruNationalUrbanRenewalMission

(Jnnurm).Lackofthecommonman'sparticipa

tionwasoneofthemajorflawsobservedin

implementationofprojectsunderthisscheme

nextcabinetmeeting."

Onpublicinvolvementinframingthispol

icy,hesaid:"Ithasalltheessentialstoplanacityforitsinhabitantsandhasbeen

framedafteraseriesofpublicdiscussionat

variousforums.Also,thedraftwaspub

lishedonthewebsiteforpublicviewing."

However,thispolicyisprimarilyframedfor

tierIIandtierIIIcities."SomepartofBan

galorewillalsobecoveredbythispolicy,"

headded.http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bangalore/

Peoplesroleiskeytocitysgrowthexpert/


Trainingprogrammeforvillagewater

committeemembers|TimesofIndia

|26January2011

People'sroleiskeytocity'sgrowth:expert|TimesofIndia|28January2011

NAGPUR:Whilethousandsofpassoutsfromeducation

schoolsfinditdifficulttogetasuitableemploymentand

areoftenexploitedbywayofunderpaymentbyschool

managements,

there

are

1,500

vacancies

of

special

teach

erslyingvacant.Thesevacanciesareinspecialschools

meantfordisabledandhandicappedstudentsunderthe

SarvaShikshaAbhiyan,acentralschemetopromotequal

ityeducation.

Thiswasoneofthefactsthatcametoforeduringathree

dayworkshopon'Qualityenhancementworkshopfor

specialteachers'thatbeganinthecityonThursday.Young

MPandNCPleaderSupriyaSuleguidedparticipantsofthe

workshopwhocamefromalloverthestate.Seenaspoliti

calheirtoherfatherandNCPsupremoSharadPawar,

Supriyaiscompletelyateaseingrassrootssocialwork

activitiesandiscoordinatorofYeshwantraoChavan

Pratishthan'sApangHakkVikasManch(Disabledempow

ermentcentre).

"Wetrytoraiseissuesrelatedtotherightsofdisabledat

differentlevelsinthestateandthecentralgovernment

andcoordinatewithdifferentagenciesinimplementing

welfareschemesinsuchawaythatthebenefitsreachthe

targetedgroupsofthedisabled,"shesaid,talkingtore

portersaftertheworkshop'sfirstdayproceedings.Experts

frommedicalfield,administratorsandsocialworkerswill

beguidingthevolunteerstosensitisethemonvarious

aspectsofworkingwiththedifferentlyabledpeoplefor

thenexttwodays.

"Thereisadearthofspecialteachersmeantforspecial

studentssufferingfromautism,cerebralpalsyandmultiple

disabilities.Moreover,lackofinformationandco

ordinationwithavailableskilledteachershasalsoledto

thevacancieslyingunfilled,"saidVijayKanhekar,co

coordinatorofVikasManch.Hedisclosedthatalarge

numberofpostsofthe3%jobreservationforthehandi

cappedcategoryingovernmentofficesalsoremained

vacantforyears."Infact,theexactnumberofsuchvacan

ciesisalsonotknown.Thematterislingeringinthecourt

anditisbelievedthatofthe22,000suchjobs,only17,000

vacancieshavebeenfilled.So,atleast5,000needydis

abledaredeprivedofjobsbecauseofslowandbureau

craticprocedures,"healleged.

Thepratishthanhasalsotakenupwiththegovernment

theneedforsettingupoldagehomesforthe

mentallyretardedwhohavenoonetolook

after.http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/1500

specialteachersjobslyingvacant/articleshow/7375585.cms

Page 20Grassroots

Developmentrulesforsmallercities

|IndianExpress|6February2011

1,500specialteachers'jobslyingvacant|TimesofIndia|28January2011

UrbanDevelopmentDepartmentdraftspro

posal,tobeputupbeforeChiefMinister

PrithvirajChavansoon

Thestategovernmentplanstointroduce

developmentcontrolrulesinsmallermunici

palcouncilstocontrolthehaphazardgrowth

ofcities.Theurbandevelopmentdepartment

hasdraftedaproposaltoapplytherules,

nowapplicabletomunicipalcorporationsin

bigcities,tosmallercitiesaswell.

Thedistrictcollectorisnowinchargeof

developmentinsmallertownswhilethe

developmentcontrolruleswillallowuseof

additionalfloorspaceindex(FSI)bycouncils

inruralareas.Theproposalwillsoonbeput

upbeforeChiefMinisterPrithvirajChavanfor

approval.

Theurbandevelopmentdepartmentwants

toextendthebenefitsofFSI,transferof

developmentrights(TDR)andclusterdevel

opmenttosuchpartsofthestatebyintro

ducingthedevelopmentcontrolrules.There

arenormsthatcanbesetintermsofbuildings,roadsandparkingintownsandvillages.

Itisrequiredforplanneddevelopmentas

evenvillagesareexperiencingrapidgrowth,

aseniordepartmentofficialsaid.http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Developmentrules

forsmallercities/746617


21/35

This story can fit 75-125 words.

Selecting pictures or graphics is an im-portant part of adding content to your

newsletter.

Think about your article and ask yourself

if the picture supports or enhances the

message youre trying to convey. Avoid

selecting images that appear to be out of

context.

Microsoft Publisher includes thousands

of clip art images from which you can

choose and import into your newsletter.

Implementation of Schemes

Page 21Grassroots

Budget2011isallsettogiveelementaryeducationasignificantboost.Media

reportsindicatethehumanresourcedevelopment(HRD)ministryisseekinga

budgetofRs.34,000croreforimplementingtheRighttoEducationAct(RTE).This

isasignificantjumpfromlastyear'selementaryeducationallocationofRs.22,667

crore,ofwhichRs.15,000crorewasallocatedtotheSarvaShikshaAbhiyan(SSA),

theprimaryvehiclefordeliveringRTE.

Thereislittleargumentthatmoremoneyisneededifschoolsaretocomplywith

RTEnorms.Thechallengeliesinensuringthismoneyisspentefficientlyand

effectivelytoensurethatchildrenactuallylearn.AndifthereisonelessonthatSSA

affordsus,itisthatthebusinessasusualmodelissimplynotgoodenough.Here's

why.

Tobeginwith,aswereportedinthisserieslastyear,significantportionsofSSA

fundsremainunspent.Expenditurehasseensomeimprovementin200910,83%

ofSSAfundswerespent,animprovementfrom70%expenditurein200809

(expenditureincludesunspentmoniesfrompreviousyears).Butfora10yearold

programme,thispersistentunderspendingisasignofinefficiency.

Moreover,delaysarerampant.Forthelasttwoyears,mycolleaguesandIhave

beentrackingreceiptandexpenditureofSSAgrantsatschoolsthroughaproject

calledPAISA.AnnualsurveysareconductedbetweenOctoberandDecemberevery

year

halfway

through

the

fiscal

year.

A

mere

50%

of

the

schools

involved

reported

receiptoffundsatthetimeofthesurvey.Thisimprovestoabout80%byMarch

end,suggestingmoneymovesslowlythroughthesystemandreachesschoolsat

theendofthefiscalyear.

NosurprisethenthatthebulkofSSAexpenditureoccursinthelastthreemonths

oftheyear.Latearrivalofmoneyresultsinschoolsrushingtoincurexpenditureto

meetreportingdeadlines,withoutgivingadequateconsiderationtotheirneeds

andplans.

Theresult:moneygetsspentpoorlyandoftenremainsunspent.

Pouringmoremoneydownthisinefficientsystemwithoutaddressingthedelays

willonlyexacerbatethistrend.Anotherstructuralproblemwiththebusinessas

usualSSAmodelistheweakplanningarchitecture.Bydesign,SSAbudgetary

allocationsaremadeonthebasisofannualworkplans.Theprocessbegins,atleast

notionally,withschoolplansthatgetaggregatedatthedistrictand,finally,the

statelevel.Theobjectiveistoensurethatplansandsub sequentexpenditure

allocationsreflectschoolneedsandpriorities.

Ironically,despiteamovetowarddecentralizedplanning,Centralgovernment

planningguidelinesallowlittleroomforflexibilityanddefacto,plansremain

centralized.Here'saninterestingexample.

SSAintroducedaninnovationfundthatprovidesaRs.1croregrantatthedistrict

level.Buttheschemeformulatedguidelinesthatnarrowlydefineinnovationinto

computereducationhalfthefundsaremeantforpurchasingcomputers,girl'seducationandearlychildcare,amongothers.Asaresult,ifadistrictwantstouse

itsinnovationfundtoimprovetraining,intro duceapedagogicalexperimentor

evenmonitorschools,itcan't.Interestingly,computersarerarelyfoundinschools.

AccordingtothelatestAnnualStatusofEducationReport(ASER)report,92%prima

ryschoolsdonothavecomputersandthisisoneofthereasonsthatcountrywide

only61%ofinnovationfundswerespentin200910.

Thiscentralizationpervadesallthewaydowntoschools,whererig idfunding

guidelinesdetermineboththequantumoffundsthatoughttoreachaschooland

howthismustbespent.Soschoolshavelittleflexibilityinallocatingresourcesto

schoolspecificpriori ties,reducingschoolplanningtoafictionalexercise.

Therearetwoconsequencesofthisdefactocentralization.One,thatcentralization

createsdisincentivesforcreativeplanningand,asaresult,planninghasbecomea

mechanicalannualtopupoffunds,onewhichdoesn'taccountforfinancialper

formanceandschoolneeds.Inefficienciesofoneyearsimplytransferontothe

next.Second,statesthatdoinnovatePunjabrecentlyintroducedvariousefforts

toimproveoutcomesandBiharhassignificantlyimproveditsenrolmentdoso

eitherbyadoptinglowcoststrategiesorbyfindingalternativefinancialstreams.As

aresult,SSAexpenditurehasalimitedimpact.

Howcantheplanprocessbestrengthened?Theanswerliesinaradicaloverhaulof

thecurrentmodeltoonethatinvestsinplanningcapacityatthegroundlevel.

Greaterflexibilityiskeybutequally,plansneedtobemadeonthebasisofclearly

definedgoalsratherthancentralizedplanningguidelines.Thisrequiresstrongstate

leadership.Second,plannersneedtohaverealtimeinformationaboutannual

expenditureandlearninglevels.So,agreaterinvestmentintrackingandreporting

isessential.

Aboveall,ifplansaretoresultineffectiveexpendituretheyneedtobebottomup.

Schoolsneedtobegenuinelyempoweredtodemandresourcesandallocatethem

basedontheirpriorities.RTE,withitsprovisionsforschoolmanagementcommit

teestaskedwithmakingschooldevelopmentplans,isanopportunitytodojust

this.

Focusedinvestmentsonempoweringschoolcommitteesistheonlywaytoalter

thebusinessasusualmodelofsimplyincreasingbudgetswithoutaddressingkey

structuralproblems.OnlythenwilltheproposedBudgetexpansionforelementary

educationresultintherighttoeducationbeingrealized.

(DatacollectedandanalysedbyAvaniKapurandAnirvanChowdhury)

YaminiAiyarisaseniorresearchfellowanddirectoroftheAccountabilityInitiative

oftheCentreforPolicyResearch

Ensuringchildrenlearnachallenge|Livemint|

17February2011


22/35

Page 22Grassroots

Respondtothiscolumnatfeedback@livemint.comMuchofthecurrentdebateonthe

NationalFoodSecurityBillhasfocusedonthePublicDistributionSystem.Crucialasthis

is,theBill'svisionoffoodsecurityaimstoaddresswidernutritionalconcernsincluding

maternal

and

child

nutrition

and

not

just

through

PDS

but

through

existing

programmes

suchastheMidDayMealScheme(MDMS)andIntegratedChildDevelopmentServices

(ICDS).Performanceontheseschemesthusmeritsurgentattention.

Let'stakeICDSfirst,orratherthelackofit.Inanoverallenvironmentofpoorquality

data,ICDSstandsoutforbeingparticularlybad.ReportingonICDSbudgetsandexpen

dituresisparticularlyhaphazardandsporadic.Crucially,asignificantportionofICDS

fundscomesfromstatecontributionsthataredifficulttoascertain.Evenparliamentary

questionscouldnotunearththisdata.Reportsonnutritionalstatustoohavesimilar

anomaliesmakingitdifficulttotrack.Undoubtedly,thefirststeptoensuringICDS

entitlementsistoimprovethequalityofmonitoringandinformationavailable.Butwe

cangleansomebroadtrends.DatarevealssignificantdeficitsinICDSimplementation

shockingforaschemethathasbeenaroundsince1975.Theprogrammesuffersfroma

severehumanresourcecapacitygapwhichrequiresurgentattentionifentitlementsare

tobeprovided.AnganwadicentresmanagedbyanAnganwadiworker(AWW)and

helperarethemainstayoftheICDSprogramme.While84%ofIndiahastherequired

number(sanctionedbytheUniongovernment)ofoperationalcentres,theyarenotwell

staffed:78%ofthesehaveAWWsinposition.InstatessuchasUttarakhand,thisgoes

downto45%.ExistingAWWsarealsooverworked.Whenmeasuredonthebasisof

AWWstoenrolledchildren,onaverageoneAnganwadiworkerlooksafter33pre

schoolchildreninIndia.Thereareextremevariations.Himachal,forinstance,hasnine

childrenperAWWandUPhas65childrenperworker.Ofcourse,inpractice,AWWsare

handlingfarfewerchildrenasattendanceisnotveryhigh;butevenifhalftheenrolledchildrenturnup,theAWWwillhavedifficulties.Thehumanresourcedeficitiscom

poundedbythefactthatAWWsareloadedwithnonICDSduties,andsalaryandother

paymentsforrunningthecentresaredelayed.ThatICDSisadisasterisawell

acknowledgedtruth.

EventhePrimeMinisterhasrepeatedlytalkedofICDSreforms.Butpreciselywhat

thesereformsareremainsunclear,andifthereisonethingthisdatashows,itisthat

nothingshortofaradicaloverhaulisneeded.

TheMDMSprogrammehasarelativelybettertrackrecord.Budgetaryallocationsand

expendituresareimproving.In200910,amere6%MDMSfundsremainedunspent

comparedwith20%in200708.Betterstill,childrenarebeingfed.ThelatestAnnual

StateofEducationReport,orASER,showsthat83%oftheschoolsacrossthecountry

wereservingMDMSmealsatthetimeofthesurvey.Butcorruptionandqualityare

seriousconcernsparticularlybecauseofthelackofoversightandmonitoringmecha

nisms.Everyday,headlinespointtostoriesofleakageandpilfering.Thegoodnewsis

somestatesarebeginningtoinnovatewithmechanismstoreducecorruptionandthese

holdimportantlessons.

TamilNadu(TN)hasintroducedvariousinnovationstostrengthendelivery,including

settingmonitoringtargetsforlocalofficialsanddeliveringfoodgrainsdirectlyto

schools.UP,too,seemstobetakingstepstowardsintroducingmonitoringinnovations

includingtheuseofmobilephonetechnologiestoensurethatmealsarebeingserved

inschools.Monitoringapart,UP'soverallexperiencewithimplementingMDMSisinteresting.

Cookingcosts(expensesofingredients,fueletc.)accountforabout52%shareofthe

MDMS.ThesecostsaresharedbetweentheCentralgovernmentandthestates.UP,

usuallyalaggardwhenitcomestodevelopmentschemes,increaseditscookingcost

allocationfromRs.3.63perchildperdayin200809toRs.4.20in200910tocomein

secondafterTNaleaderinimplementingMDMS.Interestingly,italsospent85%of

this,andisreportedtohaveprovidedmealsto83%ofitstargetsuptoDecember2009

thesearecalculatedonthebasisofthenumberofmealsactuallyservedandthe

numbersplannedatthestartofthefis cal.ComparethiswithBiharwhichmet59%,

andKeralawhichachieved80%oftheirtargets.Thereasonsforthisimprovedperform

anceandthegroundlevelaccuracyofthesenumbersneedfurtherinvestigation.But

recentnewspaperreportsseemtoindicatethatthestateisbeginningtoimprove

implementationbyintroducinginnovativemonitoring,includ ingtheuseofmobile

phonetechnologies.

ButthegreatestlessonthatstateexperiencesaffordisthatMDMSoughttohave

greaterflexibilitytoensurestatespecificneedsareac countedforandwastage

reduced.TNregularlyreceivedfundsforbuildingkitchensheds.Butitdoesn'tneed

thesefundsasover96%(ASERfigures)schoolsalreadyhavethesesheds.So,this

money,whichcouldhavebeenallocatedtoanotherstate,oradifferentactivityspecific

tothestate,goesunspent.In200809,amere13%ofkitchenshedfundswerespent.

Greaterflexibilityandgreatermonitoringwithcommunityinvolvementcouldgoalong

waytowardsimprovingtheprogramme.

AfinalwordoncastediscriminationinMDMS.Proponentsoftheprogrammerightly

arguethatitcanplayaroleinerodingcastediscriminationaschildrenofdifferent

backgroundshavetoshareamealtogether.

ButastudybyThoratandLeeofdiscriminationfacedbyDalitstellsadepressingtale.

About52%ofrespondentsinRajasthan,24%inAPand36%inTNreportedcaste

discrimination.About48%reportedoppositiontoDalitcooksand31%reportedthat

Dalitchildrenweremadetositapartfromdominantcastechildrenatmealtimes.In

somecases,teachersshowedfavouritismbytreatinguppercastechildrenpreferentially

andreservingsmallerportionsforDalitchildren.Shockingforacountrythatclaimsto

havearrivedontheglobalstage.(Datacollected,analysedbyAvaniKapurandAnirvanChowdhury.)YaminiAiyarisaseniorresearch

fellowanddirectoroftheAccountability InitiativeoftheCentreforPolicyResearch.

ChildNutritionanareaofconcern|Livemint|

18February2011


23/35

Page 23Grassroots

AsofFebruary2011,31%ofruralhouseholdsinIndiadonothavetoilets.A2008Unicef

studypointsoutthatamere21%ofruralIndiausesimprovedsanitationfacilities.But

sanitationisnoone'spriority.Lastyear,IndiaspentRs.1,422crore,or0.02%,ofitsgross

domesticproduct(GDP),ontheTotalSanitationCampaign(TSC),thegovernmentof

India'sflagshipprogramme.ThislimitedexpenditurecostsIndiaheavily.Arecentstudyby

theWaterandSanitationProgramoftheWorldBankestimatesthatinadequatesanitation

costsIndiatheequivalentof6.4%ofitsGDPduetocostsassociatedwithdeathand

disease,accessingandtreatingwaterandlossofworkamongothers.

Nowthegoodnews!Despiteitsdisastrousrecordandmisplacedpriorities,thereismuch

tobelearntfromIndia'ssanitationpolicy.

Tobeginwith,itcanbecreditedasoneoftheonlysocialsectorprogrammestohave

recognizedthelimitationsofaninfrastructure drivenpolicyapproachtoiletbuildingin

thisinstanceandattemptedtoshiftfocusbyintroducingaperformancedriven,outcome

orientedprogramme.CrucialtothisshiftwastheintroductionoftheNirmalGramPu

raskar(NGP)in2003,anincentiveschemethatoffersrewardsofuptoRs.50lakhto

panchayatsthatachieveopendefecationfree(ODF)status.TheNGPispremisedonthe

assumptionthatimprovingsanitationrequireschangingpeople'sbehaviourtowardstoilet

usethroughlocalgovernmentinnovation,awarenesscreationandgeneratingbottomup

demandforimprovedsanitation.Theprogramme,aswereportedinthisserieslastyear,

hassuccessfullyacceleratedsanitationcoverageupfromlessthan20%in2000toover

69%in2011.Interestingly,manystategovernmentshaveadoptedthisapproachandhave

beguntoexperimentwiththeirownawards.In2009alone,Karnataka,SikkimandHary

analaunchedversionsoftheNGPawards.

TheimplementationofNGPoffersmanypracticalinsightsbothonhowtoandhownot

to

reform

public

services

delivery

in

India.

First,

NGP

demonstrates

the

ease

with

which

fiscaltransferscanbetiedtoachievingoutcomes.GiventhesuccessofNGP,thereisno

reasonwhyothersocialsectorprogrammescannotinnovatewithsimilarfiscaltransfer

structures.Infact,ratherthanoutcomesbudgetingtheCentre'sanswertothevexed

problemofpoorout comesthefocusoughttobeonlinkingoutlaystooutcomesatthe

deliverypointthroughfiscalincentivessuchasNGP.Second,itshowcasesthecatalytic

rolethat,giventherightincentives,localgovernmentscanplayinpromotingoutcomes.

PanchayatshaverespondedenthusiasticallytoNGP.

AccordingtoestimatesbytheWaterandSanitationProgram,by2010,approximately

55,785localgovernmentinstitutionshadappliedandsoughtverificationoftheirODF

status.About22,745,or41%,ofthesehavegoneontowinawards.Butallthisrestsonan

objective,rigorousevaluationsys tem.ThisisthethirdkeyinsightfromNGP.WhileNGP's

evaluationmethodsarefarfromperfect,inrecentyearsithastr

grassroots feb2011 dg

Documents