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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
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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
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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
8/6/2019 Grassroots Feb2011 DG
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Grassroots e-journal Page 7
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
8/6/2019 Grassroots Feb2011 DG
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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
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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.
Grassroots e-journal Page 9
GOIallocationforfoodsubsidyin
FY201011(incrores)
Rs.55,211
Foodsubsidyasa%ofGDPinFY
200910
0.9%
8/6/2019 Grassroots Feb2011 DG
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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.
Grassroots e-journal Page 10
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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
8/6/2019 Grassroots Feb2011 DG
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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/
8/6/2019 Grassroots Feb2011 DG
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
Grassroots e-journal Page 13
From Field Offices
DainikBhaskar|24November2011
RegionalNews|AGGoa
8/6/2019 Grassroots Feb2011 DG
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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
8/6/2019 Grassroots Feb2011 DG
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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
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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
8/6/2019 Grassroots Feb2011 DG
17/35
8/6/2019 Grassroots Feb2011 DG
18/35
8/6/2019 Grassroots Feb2011 DG
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
8/6/2019 Grassroots Feb2011 DG
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/
articleshow/7362236.cms
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/
articleshow/7375163.cms
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
8/6/2019 Grassroots Feb2011 DG
21/35
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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
8/6/2019 Grassroots Feb2011 DG
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.
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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
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