Decentralised Planning And Panchayati Raj

Decentralisation of planning process of late has become a matter of worldwide concern. Decentralisation through involvement of local level representative institutions in the formulation of plans for development as well as their implementation is advocated in the interest of efficient utilisation of resources and for ensuring more equitable sharing of benefits from development. Accordingly decentralised planning is not a new concept for India. Though introduced in 1951, it was limited to sectoral programmes at lower administrative levels rather than comprehensive planning for units below the centre or states. After becoming the part of the Constitution (1992), the planning process at district and below has got added importance. The present volume after analysing the concept and strategy of planning and discussing centralised versus decentralised planning, attempts to test empirically the working of District Planning Committees vis-a-vis the role of Panchayati Raj representatives and comes out with some revealing findings and meaningful recommendations. A useful book recommended to academics, planners and practitioners.