Reintegration of Rural Development, Panchayat and Urban Development Departments is likely to be expedited for giving a better perspective to decentralised planning and development and also ensuring the financial and functional autonomy of the local governments.
Official sources told The Hindu that trifurcation of the departments for political expediency by the United Democratic Front government had thrown up too many functional hassles and also affected the operational efficacy of the local governments for want of collective decisions and support. The decision was perceived to be against the concept of decentralised planning and development, for which the State had set a widely emulated model.
Most of the government decisions, which in effect, went against granting financial and functional leeway for local governments are likely to be repealed. As a first step in this regard, it has been proposed to revive the system of remitting Plan funds into the accounts of local self-government institutions, sources said.
Bill system to go
As a panacea for the financial crisis, the government had substituted the system of remitting Plan funds in 10 instalments to the bank accounts of local governments with a bill system which mandated quarterly release of funds from the treasury against the bills of completed projects submitted by them. This was a replication of the payment mode which is already in vogue in all government departments.
The bill system had drawn flak as it was felt to be totally against the spirit of decentralisation and also deprived financial autonomy to local governments for planning and implementing projects at their will. Many of the local governments have either decided to go slow or stop executing new projects citing paucity of funds.
Though the bill system was introduced from the current financial year, it may also have to be withdrawn on implementing other reforms for augmenting the People’s Plan Campaign.
Though District Planning Committees are constitutional bodies, integral to planning at the district level, there were complaints that they have virtually become defunct and the district planning has been bureaucratised. In the wake of such complaints, a decision may be made for making the DPCs fully functional, the sources said.
