Panchayat Level Development Planning

The Sustainable Participatory Panchayat Level Development Planning (PLDP) project being implemented by IRTC of the KSSP began in May 1996. The major objectives were to evolve a set of models for participatory and sustainable development planning in the principal eco-zones of Kerala and to develop local expertise for the preparation of development schemes and plans.

During implementation, it was found desirable to devote bulk of the attention to generation of local expertise and training of local level technical groups for formulating and implementing plans. Developing a cadre of activists with good academic and practical background, which would help in the functioning of local self-government institutions, was also aimed at. The vision of the project holders is that self-sufficiency to the extent possible was a laudable goal in itself. The more a local economy becomes self-sufficient, the lower would be the need for use of human and material energy for transportation of raw materials, products, and people from place to place.

Families in such self-reliant local economies would be able to live harmonious lives with children, parents, and grandparents in company. Such a vision acquires importance in the present-day context of 'globalisation'.

The locale

The project area is five grama panchayats, representing as many agro-climatic regions in Kerala. They cover a total geographical area of 133 sq.km and a population of 0.1 million.

The experiment

The experiment envisaged the following concrete elements:

(i) Widening the base of democracy;

(ii) Enabling citizens to realise true democracy;

(iii) Building up models of local economy capable of withstanding the onslaughts of global economy, while still remaining as a part of it;

(iv) Concretising the concept of sustainable development in the context of rural people and rural areas;

(v) Evolving a new societal understanding about progress or development; and

(vi) Generating long-range perspective plans for development based on the above understanding.

The main objective of "preparation of sustainable development plans with the active participation of the people and developing local capabilities for development planning" had to be modified, with the launching of the People's Planning Campaign in August 1996, from action research to action proper.

Consequent on the devolution of power and finance and functional autonomy, the panchayats suddenly found themselves flushed with funds. However, they required time to get acquainted with the new situation before they could focus their attention on perspective plans.

Enlarging the base of democracy

A very important element in the PLDP was the building up of a broad democratic institution giving increased scope for people's participation. The neighbourhood group (NHG) and the panchayat development society (PDS) are the two important tools envisaged for this. Technical Support Group (TSG) and Self-Help Group (SHG) are expected to fortify them. The number of NHGs functioning in the five PLDP panchayats varies from 90 to 120.

All the five panchayats did not take up the formation of NHG and PDS with the same zeal. Some panchayats did form PDS, but not democratically. Even neighbourhoods were 'divided' along political lines, something that was particularly sought to be avoided. Opposition political coalitions perceived in them some hidden game or other, hatched by ruling coalition and so opposed it point blank. In some panchayats the conflict between the parliamentary wing and the organisational wing of political parties, between an earlier president and the present president, etc., came in the way of building up neighbourhoods.

Based on four years' experience in PLDP panchayats, three categories of NHGs are found to exist now:

(i) NHGs consciously used only as a tool for effective communication and mass mobilisation. Here NHGs meet once or twice a year at the initiative of the panchayat, at which the panchayat seek their support to ensure the success of the programmes they wish to launch.

(ii) NHGs used to support People's Plan Campaign activities. The NHG meetings are called as directed by the panchayat just before the grama sabhas meet. NHGs are taken into confidence in matters like beneficiary selection, plan appraisal, implementation, and mobilisation of voluntary labour. They meet four to five times a year.

(iii) NHGs that function on their own belong to the third category. These NHGs take active roles in the planning process. They meet once or twice every month on their own initiative. They keep regular minutes of meetings and elect their office-bearers annually.

Information generation is an activity that NHGs do effectively. They participate in studies on long-term development by offering local data to the TSG members. They prepare comprehensive priority lists, based on their intimate local knowledge, of families that fall below the poverty line, families that do not have drinking water, shelter, and sanitation facilities; individuals who require special health care, etc. They collect local information such as on the extent of wasteland; land use pattern, production, and productivity; educational and health status, etc., particularly of women, children, and the aged, with reasonably accurate. TSGs oversee and facilitate such activities.

A striking feature of these NHGs is the capability they exhibit in taking up long-term project commitments. This is illustrated by Vidyajyoti and Vigyanajyoti, two community education programmes that now exist in two of the PLDP panchayats. NHGs run 'remedial teaching centres' for children who lag behind in studies. Mass drill, mass prayer and meditation, mass reading, etc., are some of the other activities related to community education, which the NHGs facilitate. This is organised by the neighbourhood education sub-committee every day in the morning and after school hours in the evening. NHGs extend monetary support for higher education to a few students coming from very poor families. NHGs have started implementing programmes such as children's grama sabha, Vigyanotsav, special coaching centres for talent enrichment, and education tours.

Co-ordination of SHG activity is yet another responsibility that the NHGs undertake. SHGs are being promoted exclusively for women below the poverty level (BPL) as well as in various other below poverty line-above poverty line (APL) combinations in PLDP panchayats. The SHGs have a co-ordination set-up at NHG, ward, and panchayat levels. They have started their activities through micro-credit system, but only in a small way. Some of the SHGs have savings of the order of a few hundred thousand rupees. They have gained confidence in credit management. Some of them look forward to starting micro-enterprises such as production units, marketing units, and service units. Many SHGs now avail the facilities offered to them such as insurance, loan, grant, and market. There are about 350 SHGs functioning in PLDP panchayats at present.

NHGs play a very effective role in settling family disputes and mobilising social action against theft, hooliganism, and crime. They also mobilise social resistance to illicit liquor, drug abuse, and juvenile smoking.

Monitoring and management of social assets created as part of People's Plan Campaign, by NHGs is another unique feature noticed in PLDP panchayats. Running of community water supply system, day to day management of rural development centre, community rabbit-rearing centre and agricultural nursery, and monitoring the performance of micro enterprises owned by women's NHG, are a few examples.

PLDP experience has thus shown that NHGs could become a convenient agency for ensuring people's participation in decision-making, development planning, and implementation at the grassroots-level. The constitutional powers devolved at present to grama sabha could be considered an umbrella to safeguard the rights and responsibilities of citizens comprised in an NHG and also to honour their collective decisions and actions.

NHGs provide a convenient platform for empowerment of citizens in a people-centred development process. They ensure true democracy, cutting across the barriers of party politics and religious differences. Experience so far shows that women empowerment and their involvement in developmental activities have remarkably improved under NHGs.

Enhancing capabilities

The PLDP action research has tried a model, introducing Panchayat Development Societies (PDS), to facilitate integrated and perspective planing in local bodies that do not have experience in planning. PDS was contemplated as a registered society to be constituted democratically through representative participation, one woman and one man from each NHG to the general body of PDS. Elected panchayat council members become ex-officio members both in the general body and the executive committee of PDS, with president of the grama panchayat as chairperson.

Collectivism, transparency, equity, and competency in local planning process are ensured by making certain the participation of eligible and capable persons from all walks of life including scientific and professional communities. Feeder units such as sub-committees for the different sectors constituted at neighbourhood group, ward, and grama panchayat levels have established a network that in turn ensures effective interaction and exchange of ideas among neighbourhood group in a panchayat.

The PLDP experience has shown that the conventional training programmes and mechanisms for interaction cannot bring about desirable changes in the attitude and perception of the people. This is mainly because the majority of them see People's Planning only as a new way to do old things - to 'distribute benefits and favours'.

There are other problems like inadequacy of data, lack of clarity about the concept of poverty, and non-availability of expertise and inertia prevalent in the society. The old type of professionalism still holds 'technology transfer' and 'blue print approach' as their paradigm of development.

The reorientation contemplated in the 'bottom-up' planning process therefore requires proper animation, orientation, structuring, and facilitation to take its root in an entirely new development culture. TSG is a team of local experts developed organically in panchayat, who participate voluntarily as an intermediary in spearheading the reorientation process.

The TSG training programme developed under PLDP has been found successful in realising these objectives. The TSG teams developed in the PLDP panchayats are now engaged in a continuous process of self-learning and aided learning as well as undergoing a series of Citizens' Education Programme adding a further dimension to the prospects and stability of NHG-PDS social institution network.

Women's empowerment

The efforts initiated by PLDP for women's empowerment have resulted in the women thinking of their economic and extra-economic issues systematically. Lack of own income and non-accessibility to sources of income constitute the key issues they face. The role of SHGs and the scope of developing micro enterprises were keenly discussed. Ways and means of rejuvenating the sick units and learning lessons from the conflicts experienced in some production units were also subjects for discussion in women's groups. Women themselves have come forward to formulate their own 'real' projects. Extra-economic issues originate from gender discrimination rampant in our society. Hence PLDP did the analysis of the term 'gender' carefully. Concerted and collective efforts would be required to challenge gender bias. The writings of Sree Narayana Guru and Mooloor Padmanabha Panikker were studied from a women's perspective in some groups. The participants felt the need for an alternative magazine to promote the women's cause. These groups decided to organise a women's day celebration at the panchayat level, to hold regular meetings to discuss, study, debate, evaluate, and plan activities through collective efforts. The concept of decentralised planning and participatory democracy and the opportunities they provide for women's empowerment are being made use of to the fullest advantage of women.

The training courses that PLDP conducted were able to unleash the creativity that had remained dormant in women. Women are now in the process of organising and co-ordinating SHGs in the panchayat. Participation of women in social activities has improved its quality. The rabbit-rearing programme in Madakkathara panchayat is an all-women economic activity. The leadership of women TSG members was excellent in the conduct of the State-level training programme on rabbitry, sponsored by State Planning Board. Women's micro enterprises such as puppet-making, rabbit-fur-processing, book-binding, gold-coated ornaments, catering services, tailoring units, and agricultural nurseries are functioning in PLDP panchayats. There is a felt need at present for various types of skill improvement to ensure sustainability of these programmes.

Formulation of development perspective

The development activities in a panchayat may be divided into several distinct sectors, which may have only comparatively weak and indirect linkage among themselves and which offer considerable degree of flexibility in their sequencing. On the other hand, each such sector may have several sub-sectors that are very closely inter-linked and should be planned together. Primary sector production is one major sector that is not directly related to, say education. But within the primary sector, seeds, organic manure, bio-pesticides, soil conservation, water management, storage, marketing, finance, labour availability, agri-machinery etc., are all inter-related and should be planned together.

In case of health, sanitation, environmental cleanliness, safe drinking water, nutrition, preventive and promotive and curative health care, health education, etc., all have to be taken up together. The perspective Plan envisages the long-term sequencing of the overall development Plans, in such a manner that at each stage every element is integrated to give maximum synergic output.

The process of formulating a development perspective in Madakkathara panchayat is progressing. The philosophy and the framework of a development perspective were widely discussed in NHGs and suggestions were compiled. The TSG members took initiative in the preparation of a draft perspective plan. Subject-wise sectoral trainings were given to convert the development perspective into concrete action proposals. An important feature of the process was the mass participation of people in the venture. About 8,000 persons (50 per cent of them women) involved themselves in the process directly. This was managed through the vibrant democratic institutional set-up, which now exists in this panchayat.

The information and the skills necessary for the preparation of the development perspective were disseminated through TSG and allowed to percolate down to NHGs in a carefully planned process. It all started with a conscious dreaming session of the TSG members in a six-day camp organised for the purpose. It was followed by the analysis and processing of available local information. Prioritisation of developmental programmes and the subsequent phase of preparation of projects were the sequence of events tried out in the PLDP experiment.