Question.
Explain the merits and demerits of districts as a unit of planning in India with examples. ( 63rd BPSC, 2019)
Answer:
The district is the main unit of decentralized planning in India. The Third Five Year Plan (1961-66) emphasized district-level planning but it was formally recognized in the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment Acts of 1992.
Merits of District as a unit of planning in India:
- A district is a kind of most suitable natural geographical area, which shows homogeneity of many things like resources, demographic characteristics, agro-economic activities, relief facilities, infrastructural features, and cultural features.
- For example, the Sonbhadra district of Uttar Pradesh has a unique natural feature (i.e. hilly area) that is not found in the neighboring district of Uttar Pradesh.
- It is the most suitable unit of planning in diverse countries like India.
- The district provides greater suitability for mobilization of resources and use of local resources, which makes planning much easier.
- It ensures greater participation of local people in development and eases administration.
Demerits of Districts as a Unit of Planning in India:
- In fact, all the districts of India are not created on the basis of uniformity of resources which creates problems in planning.
- There is a lack of expertise and trained staff both in quantity and quality in the district, due to which planning is not done well.
- There is often a lack of coordination among various agencies within the district and at the state and central levels.
- Financially, districts are not self-sufficient units of planning. It has depended on the state or the center for finances.
- In practice, state and central government schemes are implemented in the district without fully understanding the local requirement and sustainability of resources.
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