POPULATION EDUCATION AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT

Sem-II

Paper-IV (Rural Development Planning)

Unit-I Rural Development Planning & Planning Commission

Dr. Sandhya Yadav

Assistant Professor
Depatment of Social Work
University of Lucknow, Lucknow
Email: [email protected]
Planning: Concept, Meaning, Process and Importance

Concept:
Planning is the process of thinking about the activities required to
achieve a desired goal. It is the first and foremost activity to achieve
desired results. It involves the creation and maintenance of a plan, such
as psychological aspects that require conceptual skills. There are even a
couple of tests to measure someone’s capability of planning well. As
such, planning is a fundamental property of intelligent behavior. An
important further meaning, often just called "planning" is the legal
context of permitted building developments.

Meaning:
Planning is very important for successfulness and the effective
performance of a programme not only for programme but also for
individuals. It involves selecting missions and objectives and the actions
to achieve them. Therefore every organisation gives a greater emphasis
on planning.
Planning as a process involves the determination of future course
of action, that is why an action, what action, how to take action, and
when to take action. These are related with different aspects of planning
process.
Thus, Terry has defined planning in terms of future course of
action i.e., “planning is the selection and relating of facts and
making and using of assumptions regarding the future in the
visualisation and formalisation of proposed activities believed
necessary to achieve desired result.”
Mc Farland has defined Planning as “a concept of executive action
that embodies the skills of anticipating, influencing and
controlling the nature and direction of change.”
Process of Planning:
Planning involves setting the goals of the programme and then
managing the resources to achieve such goals. As you can imagine it is a
systematic process involving eight well thought out steps. Let us take a
look at the planning process.
 1. Recognizing Need for Action
2. Setting Objectives
3. Developing Premises
4. Identifying Alternatives
5. Formulating Supporting Plan
6. Implementation of the Plan
Components of Planning:
Planning consists of several individual plans or components of
planning, which are usually bound together.
(i) Forecasting. (ii) Objectives.
(iii) Policies. (iv) Programmes.
(v) Strategies. (vi) Schedules.
(vii) Procedures. (viii) Rules, and
(ix) Budgets.
Importance of Planning:
Planning for Rural Development: Concept, Importance,
functions and Need of Decentralized planning

Concept:
A plan is a blueprint for action. It points out a precise way to
reach a pre-determined goal or a set of goals within a pre-determined
period of time with the means, those are available with the planner and
under the prevailing circumstances. Planning as a process, involves die
application of a rational system of choices among feasible courses of
investment and other development possibilities based on a consideration
of economic and social costs and benefits. In contest of a quantitative
planning model, planning may be defined as a process of determining an
optimal mix of alternative investment activities so as to maximise the
objective function under the given constraints. However, we define
planning as an organised, conscious and continued effort to achieve
specific goals in the future.
Importance:
1. To develop rural area as whole in terms of culture, society,

economy, technology and health.

2. To develop living standards of rural mass.

3. To develop rural youths, children and women.

4. To develop and empower human resource of rural area in terms of

their psychology, skill, knowledge, attitude and other abilities.

5. To solve the problems faced by the rural mass for their

development
6. To develop infrastructure facility of rural area.

7. To provide minimum facility to rural mass in terms of drinking

water, education, transport, electricity and communication.

 8. To develop rural institutions like Panchayat, cooperatives, post,

banking and credit.

9. To develop rural industries through the development of
handicrafts, small scaled industries, village industries, rural crafts,
cottage industries and other related economic operations in the
rural sector.
10. To develop agriculture, animal husbandry and other agricultural

related areas.
11. To restore uncultivated land, provide irrigation facilities and

motivate farmers to adopt improved seed, fertilizers, package of

practices of crop cultivation and soil conservation methods.
12. To develop entertainment and recreational facility for rural mass.

13. To develop leadership quality of rural area.

14. To improve rural marketing facility.

15. To minimize gap between the urban and rural in terms of facilities

availed.
16. To improve rural people’s participation in the development of state

and nation as whole.

17. To improve scopes of employment for rural mass.

18. For the sustainable development of rural area.

19. To eliminate rural poverty.

20. To empower them.

Functions:
• To Promote small scale industries
• To Finance the development of housing sectors
• To develop the large scale of industries
• To help in agriculture and rural development
 • To Promote economic activities in backward arias
• To the provision of proper living conditions.
• To ensure social security.
• To ensure the level of protection of citizens' health. Education,
professional competence, cultural development.
• To ensure the level of personal safety and legal protection.
• To ensure the environmental safety.
Decentralized planning:
Decentralised planning is very much important in a country like
India, where majority of our population live in rural areas. Thus under
the present economic scenario, the decentralised planning is considered
as most important strategy in respect of planning for economic
development.
Decentralised planning refers to the process of planning where
some of planning functions and responsibilities of decision-making are
delegated from the centre to the lower levels of administration. As a first
step, planning process get decentralised from national level to state
level planning, then state to regional level, from regional to district level,
district level to sub-divisional level or block level and ultimately to village
level. Decentralised planning may also be called as grass-root level
planning or planning from below. Planning from the top or planning by
direction is known as centralised planning or macro-level planning. In
the case of macro planning, the planning is done for entire nation or
country as a whole. Although planning at the top may be made more
precise and coordinated and may take account of the overall
requirements of the country, it may not pay equal attention to the needs
of all regions. But planning by inducement or planning from below or
decentralised planning fixes its targets in lower level (below the national
level) and is achieved by real beneficiaries who participate both in
formulation and implementation of the plan. Thus, decentralisation
provides an opportunity for involving the people in their planning
process and thus demonstrate their capabilities.
Need of Decentralised Planning :
1. It is difficult for the macro level planning to cover effectively the
resources of local level and of spatially dispersed economic
activities pursued on small scale at household and village level.
2. Bringing the peripheral groups of the poor and the disadvantaged
within the mainstream of economic processes needs programmes
and organisational structure at the grass-roots for identification,
delivery, initial support and guidance towards viability.
3. Given the likely slow and halting pace of rehabilitation of these
groups and the frequent periods of stress and strain through which
they pass, stable and dependable arrangements are required for
provision of relief and supply of minimum needs to them on an
adequate scale.
4. It is important to have participatory mechanisms in the planning of
resources and needs with a view to promoting among the people
motivation, habits of self-help, local level ownership and active
role in strategic and planning decisions.
Decentralization to regional or local levels allows officials to
disaggregate and tailor development plans and programmes to the
needs of heterogeneous regions and groups, cuts through red tape,
enables better information flow, facilitates integration and local elites
with the national elites, leads to greater equity in allocation of
government resources, develops administrative capability for economic
development, institutionalises participation of citizens in planning
process and it creates an atmosphere of political stability and national
unity.
 State and Civil Society Response to Development

State and Civil Society:

Generally, civil society has been referred to as a political association
governing social conflict through the imposition of rules that restrain
citizens from harming one another. In the classical period, the concept
was used as a synonym for the good society, and seen as
indistinguishable from the state. Civil society is a sphere apart from the
state. It is a sphere in which individuals come together and form groups,
pursue common enterprises, share interests, communicate over
important and sometimes not so important matters.

Today almost everyone agrees that civil society refers to uncovered

associational life distinct from the family and institutions of the state.
Civil society is also often thought to be distinct from the economy.
Where to draw the line, however, is a matter of some dispute. In what
follows we take up six such relations in order to illustrate the range of
contemporary debate surrounding civil society:
1. civil society apart from the state
2. civil society against the state
3. civil society in support of the state
 4. civil society in dialogue with the state
5. civil society in partnership with the state
6. civil society beyond the state.
Civil society organizations, also known as civic organizations,
include among others:
activist groups
charities
clubs (sports, social, etc.)
community foundations
community organizations
consumer organizations
cooperatives
foundations
non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
non-profit organizations (NPOs)
political parties
private voluntary organizations (PVOs)
professional associations
religious organizations
social enterprises
social movement organizations
support groups
trade unions
voluntary associations
The relationship between civil society and the state to emerge
from this view is complex and often reflects a love/hate dynamic. On the
one hand, liberals and conservatives alike have come to realize that the
viability of liberal democracy depends on reproducing the requisite
democratic dispositions. Democracy without democrats is a precarious
proposition. Contrary to what Kant thought, we cannot build a strong
political community assuming a race of devils. Instead we need to be
attentive to identity formation and the inculcation of values. From this
point of view, civil society performs a function of underpinning and
supporting the state. On the other hand, there is also a certain amount
of hostility towards the state.
 Planning Commission and NITI Ayog

Planning Commission:
Planning Commission of India is an organization in the
Government of India, which formulates India`s Five-Year Plans, among
other functions. The planning commission was charged with the service
of the opportunities to all for employment in the service of the
community. The Planning Commission is reporting directly to the Prime
Minister of India. It was established on 15 March 1950, with Prime
Minister Jawaharlal Nehru as the chairman. The Planning Commission
does not derive its creation from either the Constitution or statute but is
an arm of the Central/Union Government. The Planning Commission was
set up by a Resolution of the Government of India in March 1950. The
prime objectives of the Government were to propel a rapid increase in
the living standard of Indians by the productive exploitation of the
country’s resources, raising production and securing opportunities for
everyone for employment in the service of society. The Planning
Commission was assigned the responsibility of assessing all the
resources of the country, enhancing scarce resources, drafting plans for
the most productive and balanced usage of resources and ascertaining
priorities. Pandit Nehru was the first Chairman of the Planning
Commission.

The first Five-year Plan was launched in 1951 and subsequent

Five-year plans were formulated till 1965, when a gap occurred due to
the war with Pakistan. 2 consecutive years of drought, rupee
devaluation, a general hike in prices and depletion of resources derailed
the planning process and after Annual Plans from 1966 to 1969, the 4th
Five-year plan was started in 1969.

The 8th Plan could not be launched in 1990 due to political

situations altering and instabilities at the Centre and the years 1990-91
and 1991-92 received Annual Plans. The 8th Plan was finally kicked off
in 1992 after the economic liberalization policies were started by the
government. For the first 8 Plans, the focus was on an expanding public
sector with massive investments in the heavy and basic industrial sector,
but after the launch of the 9th Plan in 1997, the emphasis has shifted
from heavy industries and moved on to the thinking that planning
should largely be indicative in nature.

Functions:
To formulate a plan for the most effective and balanced utilization
of country's resources.
To define the stages, on the basis of priority, in which the plan
should be carried out and propose the allocation of resources for
the due completion of each stage.
To indicate the factors that tend to retard economic development.
To determine the conditions which need to be established for the
successful execution of the plan within the incumbent socio-
political situation of the country.
To determine the nature of the machinery required for securing
the successfulυ implementation of each stage of the plan in all its
aspects.
To appraise from time to time the progress achieved in the
execution of eachυ stage of the plan and also recommend the
 adjustments of policy and measures which are deemed important
for successful implementation of the plan.
To make necessary recommendations from time to time regarding
those things which are deemed necessary for facilitating the
execution of these functions. Such recommendations can be
related to the prevailing economic conditions, current policies,
measures or development programs. They can even be given out
in response to some specific problems referred to the commission
by the central or the state governments.
Sectors of Planning Commission:
Agricultural
Communication
Information and Information Technology
Division Educational
Employment
Environment & Forests
Health
Industry
Minerals
Infrastructure
Power and Energy
Rural Development
Science & Technology
Social Justice
Urban Affairs
Women Empowerment
Water Resources
Structure of Planning Commission:
NITI Ayog:
The NITI Aayog was formed on January 1, 2015. In Sanskrit, the
word “NITI” means morality, behavior, guidance, etc. But, in the present
context, it means policy and the NITI stands for “National Institution
for Transforming India”. It is the country’s premier policy-making
institution which is expected to bolster the economic growth of the
country. It aims to construct a strong state that will help to create a
dynamic and strong nation. This helps India to emerge as a major
economy in the world. The NITI Aayog’s creation has two hubs
called “Team India Hub” and “Knowledge and Innovation Hub”.

1. The Team India: It leads the participation of Indian states with the
central government.
2. The Knowledge and Innovation Hub: it builds institution’s think
tank capabilities.

NITI Aayog is additionally creating itself as a State of the Art

Resource Center, with the essential resources, knowledge, and skills that
will empower it to act with speed, advance research and innovation,
bestow crucial policy vision to the government and manage unforeseen
issues. The reason for setting up the NITI Aayog is that people had
expectations for growth and development in the administration through
their participation. This required institutional changes in administration
and active strategy shifts that could seed and foster substantial scale
change.

Objectives:
To evolve a shared vision of national development priorities,
sectors and strategies with the active involvement of States.
To foster cooperative federalism through structured support
initiatives and mechanisms with the States on a continuous basis,
recognizing that strong States make a strong nation.
To develop mechanisms to formulate credible plans at the village
level and aggregate these progressively at higher levels of
government.
To ensure, on areas that are specifically referred to it, that the
interests of national security are incorporated in economic strategy
and policy.
To pay special attention to the sections of our society that may be
at risk of not benefiting adequately from economic progress.
To design strategic and long term policy and programme
frameworks and initiatives, and monitor their progress and their
efficacy. The lessons learnt through monitoring and feedback will
be used for making innovative improvements, including necessary
mid-course corrections
To provide advice and encourage partnerships between key
stakeholders and national and international like-minded Think
tanks, as well as educational and policy research institutions.
To create a knowledge, innovation and entrepreneurial support
system through a collaborative community of national and
international experts, practitioners and other partners.
To offer a platform for resolution of inter-sectoral and inter
departmental issues in order to accelerate the implementation of
the development agenda.
To maintain a state-of-the-art Resource Centre, be a repository of
research on good governance and best practices in sustainable
 and equitable development as well as help their dissemination to
stake-holders.
To actively monitor and evaluate the implementation of
programmes and initiatives, including the identification of the
needed resources so as to strengthen the probability of success
and scope of delivery.
To focus on technology upgradation and capacity building for
implementation of programmes and initiatives.
To undertake other activities as may be necessary in order to
further the execution of the national development agenda, and the
objectives mentioned above.

7 pillars of effective governance envisaged by NITI Aayog

The NITI Aayog is based on the 7 pillars of effective Governance.

They are:

1. Pro-people: it fulfills the aspirations of society as well as

individuals
2. Pro-activity: in anticipation of and response to citizen needs
3. Participation: involvement of citizenry
4. Empowering: Empowering, especially women in all aspects
5. Inclusion of all: inclusion of all people irrespective of caste, creed,
and gender
6. Equality: Providing equal opportunity to all especially for youth
7. Transparency: Making the government visible and responsive
Present Composition of NITI Ayog:
Chairperson:
1. Shri Narendra Modi, Hon'ble Prime Minister
Vice Chairperson:
1. Dr. Rajiv Kumar
Full-Time Members:
1. Shri V.K. Saraswat
2. Prof. Ramesh Chand
3. Dr. V. K. Paul
Ex-officio Members:
1. Shri Raj Nath Singh, Minister of Defence
2. Shri Amit Shah, Minister of Home Affairs
3. Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of Finance and Minister of
Corporate Affairs
4. Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, Minister of Agriculture and Farmers
Welfare;Minister of Rural Development; Minister of Panchayati Raj.
Special Invitees:
1. Shri Nitin Jairam Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport and
Highways; Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
2. ShriThaawar Chand Gehlot, Minister of Social Justice and
Empowerment.
3. Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister of Railways; and Minister of Commerce
and Industry.
4. Shri Rao Inderjit Singh, Minister of State (Independent Charge) of
the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation and
Minister of State(Independent Charge) of Ministry of Planning.
Chief
hief Executive Officer:
Officer
1. Shri Amitabh Kant
Functions:
NITI Aayog is developing itself as a State-of-the
State the-art Resource
Centre, with the necessary resources, knowledge and skills, that will
enable it to act with speed, promote research and innovation, provide
strategic policy vision for the government, and deal with contingent
issues.
NITI Aayog’s entire gamut of activities can be divided into four main
heads:
1. Design Policy & Programme Framework
2. Foster Cooperative Federalism
3. Monitoring & Evaluation
4. Think Tank and Knowledge & Innovation Hub

The different verticals of NITI provide the requisite coordination

and support framework for NITI to carry out its mandate. The list of
verticals is as below:
Agriculture
Health
Women & Child Development
Governance & Research
HRD
Skill Development & Employment
Rural Development
Sustainable Development Goals
Energy
Managing Urbanization
Industry
Infrastructure
Financial Resources
Natural Resources & Environment
Science & Tech
State Coordination & Decentralized Planning (SC&DP)
Social Justice & Empowerment
Land & Water Resources
Data management & Analysis
Public-Private Partnerships
Project Appraisal and Management Division (PAMD)
Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office
National Institute of Labour Economics Research and Development
(NILERD)