To cut clutter, govt may merge some schemes, drop others

The 11th Plan is likely to restructure centrally sponsored schemes to ensure centrality of panchayats. The move aims at spurring states to devolve powers and go for decentralised planning.

The move could lead to over 200 schemes being merged under a few heads such as poverty fund, education fund, health fund and so on.

Panchayati Raj Minister Mani Shankar Aiyer said these funds would go to panchayats through a special panchayat sector window. Incentives would be given to states willing to empower panchayats, he said.

The move is a follow-up of the report of a task force set up by his ministry. The report has been included in the three-volume state of the panchayats report which was released by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday.

The task force, headed by former vice-chairman of the Kerala Planning Board V Ramachandran, has recommended convergence of a number of central schemes and winding up of others to give enough room to panchayats to implement the schemes in a manner which suits them.

For instance, it has proposed an anti-poverty fund by merging the Sampoorna Grameen Swarojgar Yojna and National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme, and a water security fund by merging four different schemes. An education fund can be created by merging the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and the mid-day meal scheme, it has said.

A family welfare and child development fund can be set up by merging Integrated Child Development Programme and family welfare sub-centres, which come the primary health centres, the report says, adding that once the convergence is done, panchayats should be given freedom to allocate the block grant.

This, however, would be subject to certain norms, such as court directions on targeted support for a particular area.

Aiyer said many states had set a 2007-2008 deadline for setting up the panchayat sector windows. He said the ministries concerned had agreed on the schemes which would be merged.

Planning Commission Member Secretary RR Shah, in a letter to state governments early this year, had pointed out that the Ramachandran panel had worked out a detailed time schedule for grassroots-level planning as part of preparatory work for the 11th Plan.

"The Plan will also be designed to provide a substantial thrust to planning at the grassroots level," he had written.

He had also asked chief secretaries to initiate action according to the recommendations of the committee.