The Karnataka State Planning Board and the State Decentralised Planning and Development Committee have together resolved to urged the State government to constitute the District Planning Committees (DPC) from the next financial year to consolidate and integrate all development projects of urban and rural local bodies under their purview.
The State Planning Board and the State Decentralised Planning and Development Committee, which held a two-day brain-storming session at Abdul Nazir Sab State Institute for Rural Development and Panchayat in Mysuru on Friday and Saturday, will together urge Chief Minister B.S. Yeddiyurappa to establish DPCs in all districts to streamline budgetary expenditure.
The draft development plans sent by DPCs to be headed by Ministers in charge will be vetted by the committee and board before they are sent for consideration in the State Budget. Briefing reporters after the session, Vice-Chairman of the committee Pramod Hegde said the establishment of DPCs has been mandated by the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act and Section 310 of Karnataka Panchayat Raj Act of 1993.
Instead of adopting the top-down approach to implementation of projects, the plans should be conceived on the basis of demands from the ground-level. The demands coming from the gram panchayats, taluk panchayats and other ULBs like town panchayats, CMCs and city corporations should be accommodated in the plans conceived at the district level, Mr. Hegde said.
While the TPDC headed by the local MLA will consolidate projects and budgets of all the local bodies of urban and rural areas before sending the same to the DPC, which will in turn consolidate all the projects and budgets of the urban and rural local bodies under its purview. The plans will include the revenue to be collected by local bodies as well as the grants to be sanctioned by State and Centre.
Deputy Chairman of the Planning Board B.J. Puttaswamy said DPCs will include the grants sanctioned by the MLAs, MLC’s and MPs for different development projects. Hitherto, the grants were sanctioned by DCs based on the recommendations of the MLAs, MLCs or MPs. “But, by bringing them under the ambit of the DPC, there will be more transparency and honesty,” Mr. Puttaswamy said.
