Local govts to have say in central schemes

Centrally-sponsored schemes (CSSs) like the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Mid-Day Meal Scheme and the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme are up for major restructuring. Local governments are set to have a key say in formulating policies for these schemes.

At present, the guidelines for these schemes are framed only by the central ministries and cannot be altered by states.

"The architecture of the continuing and new CSS will need to be radically altered and the instrumentality changed," the Planning Commission said in its 11th Plan (2007-12) document that was approved by the National Development Council (NDC) late last year.

In the 11th Plan, the Planning Commission wants to adopt decentralised planning through what it calls district plans.

The district plans will be integration of plans charted out at the panchayat level. The technical and financial aspects of the projects made at these levels will be vetted by the technical advisory groups of the District Planning Committee (DPC).

The Plan panel proposes to make the DPCs into full-fledged institutions with technical advisory groups for different sectors comprising professionals from governments, academic institutions, non-government organisations and the civil society. The DPCs will also be encouraged to network with academic and research institutions within the district.

The commission, in consultation with the ministries concerned, will issue common guidelines for preparation of converged plans.

State governments will also be asked to issue detailed guidelines for decentralised planning. Over a period of time, the Planning Commission wants to generate a local statistical system by increasing the sample size of the national sample surveys so that the interpretation of the outcome of such schemes is possible at the Block level itself.

At present, the Planning Commission transfers funds to support state-level schemes under the central plan assistance and through centrally-sponsored schemes.

These funds are provided as specific-purpose grants through central government ministries. In the recently concluded NDC meeting, states raised the issue of the Centre gradually squeezing the central plan assistance while increasing the CSS funding, which they said limits innovation in planning at the state level.