Planning and Sustainable Development in Indian Context 105
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Unit III The word ‘planning’ is not new to you as it is a part of everyday usage. You must have used Chapter 9 it with reference to preparation for your examination or visit to a hill station. It involves the process of thinking, formulation of a scheme or programme and implementation of a set of actions to achieve some goal. Though it is a very broad term, in this chapter, it has been used with reference to the process of economic development. It is, thus different from the traditional hit-and-miss methods by PLANNING AND On 1 January 2015, the NITI Aayog was formed. India adopted centralised planning SUSTAINABLE after Independence, but subsequently, it graduated into decentralised multi-level DEVELOPMENT IN planning. The responsibility of plan formulation was with the Planning Comminssion at the INDIAN CONTEXT Centre, State and district levels. But on 1 January 2015, the Planning Commision was replaced by the NITI Aayog. NITI Aayog has been set up with the objective of involving the states in economic policy making for India for providing strategic and technical advice to the Central and State governments. which reforms and reconstruction are often undertaken. Generally, there are two approaches to planning, i.e., sectoral planning and regional planning. Sectoral planning means formulation and implementation of the sets of schemes or programmes aimed at development of various sectors of the economy, such as agriculture, irrigation, manufacturing, power, construction, transport, communication, social infrastructure and services. There is no uniform economic development over space in any country. Some areas are more developed and some lag behind. This uneven pattern of development over space necessitates that the planners have a spatial perspective and draw the plans to reduce regional imbalance in development. This type of planning is termed as regional planning. 2021-22 Target Area Planning plantation, agriculture, animal husbandry, poultry, forestry and small-scale and village The planning process has to take special care industry. of those areas which have remained economically backward. As you know, the Drought Prone Area Programme economic development of a region depends upon its resource base. But sometimes This programme was initiated during the resource-rich region also remain backward. Fourth Five Year Plan with the objectives of Economic development requires technology, as providing employment to the people in well as, investment besides resources. With the drought-prone areas and creating productive planning experience of about one-and-a-half assets. Initially, this programme laid emphasis decades, it was realised that regional on the construction of labour-intensive civil imbalances in economic development were works. But later on, it emphasised on irrigation getting accentuated. In order to arrest the projects, land development programmes, accentuation of regional and social disparties, afforestation, grassland development and the Planning Commission introduced the creation of basic rural infrastructure, such as ‘target area’ and target group approaches to electricity, roads, market, credit and services. planning. Some of the examples of The National Committee on Development programmes directed towards the of Backward Areas reviewed the performance development of target areas are Command of this programme. It has been observed that Area Development Programme, Drought Prone this programme is largely confined to the Area Development Programme, Desert development of agriculture and allied sectors Development Programme, Hill Area with major focus on restoration of ecological Development Programme. The Small Farmers balance. Since growing population pressure is Development Agency (SFDA) and Marginal forcing the society to utilise the marginal lands Farmers Development Agency (MFDA) which for agriculture, and, thereby causing ecological are the examples of target group programme. degradation, there is a need to create alternative In the 8th Five Year Plan special area employment opportunities in the drought- programmes were designed to develop prone areas. The other strategies of infrastructure in hill areas, north-eastern development of these areas include adoption of states, tribal areas and backward areas. integrated watershed development approach at the micro-level. The restoration of ecological Hill Area Development Programme balance between water, soil, plants, and human Hill Area Development Programmes were and animal population should be a basic initiated during the Fifth Five Year Plan covering consideration in the strategy of development of 15 districts comprising all the hilly districts of drought-prone areas. Uttar Pradesh (present Uttarakhand), Mikir Hill The Planning Commission of India (1967) and North Cachar hills of Assam, Darjeeling identified 67 districts (entire or partly) of the district of West Bengal and Nilgiri district of Tamil country prone to drought. The Irrigation Nadu. The National Committee on the Commission (1972) introduced the criterion of Development of Backward Area in 1981 30 per cent irrigated area and demarcated the recommended that all the hill areas in the drought-prone areas. Broadly, the drought- country having height above 600 m and not prone area in India spread over semi-arid and covered under tribal sub-plan be treated as arid tract of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Western backward hill areas. Madhya Pradesh, Marathwada region of The detailed plans for the development of hill Maharashtra, Rayalseema and Telangana areas were drawn keeping in view their plateaus of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka plateau topographical, ecological, social and economic and highlands and interior parts of Tamil Nadu. conditions. These programmes aimed at The drought-prone areas of Punjab, Haryana harnessing the indigenous resources of the hill and north-Rajasthan are largely protected due areas through development of horticulture, to spread of irrigation in these regions. Planning and Sustainable Development in Indian Context 105 2021-22 Case Study – Integrated Tribal Development Project in Bharmaur* Region This region lies between 32° 11’ N and 32°41’ N latitudes and 76° 22’ E and 76° Bharmaur tribal area comprises Bharmaur and 53’E longitudes. Spread over an area of Holi tehsils of Chamba district of Himachal about 1,818 sq km, the region mostly lies Pradesh. It is a notified tribal area since between 1,500 m to 3,700 m above the 21 November 1975. Bharmaur is inhabited by mean sea level. This region popularly ‘Gaddi’, a tribal community who have known as the homeland of Gaddis is maintained a distinct identity in the Himalayan surrounded by lofty mountains on all sides. region as they practised transhumance and It has Pir Panjal in the north and Dhaula conversed through Gaddiali dialect. Dhar in the south. In the east, the extension of Dhaula Dhar converges with Bharmaur tribal region has harsh climate Pir Panjal near Rohtang Pass. The river conditions, low resource base and fragile Ravi and its tributaries– the Budhil and the environment. These factors have influenced the Tundahen, drain this territory, and carve society and Economy of the region. According out deep gorges. These rivers divide the to the 2011 census, the total population of region into four physiographic divisions Bharmaur sub-division was 39,113 i.e., 21 called Holi, Khani, Kugti and Tundah areas. persons per sq km. It is one of the most Bharmaur experiences freezing weather (economically and socially) backward areas of conditions and snowfall in winter. Its mean monthly temperature in January remains Himachal Pradesh. Historically, the Gaddis 4°C and in July 26°C. have experienced geographical and political isolation and socio-economic deprivation. The economy is largely based on agriculture and the Fifth Five Year Plan, the tribal sub-plan was allied activities such as sheep and goat rearing. introduced in 1974 and Bharmaur was designated as one of the five Integrated Tribal The process of development of tribal area Development Projects (ITDP) in Himachal of Bharmaur started in 1970s when Gaddis Pradesh. This area development plan was aimed were included among ‘scheduled tribes’. Under at improving the quality of life of the Gaddis Fig. 9.1 * The name Bharmaur is derived from Sanskrit word Brahmaur. In this book Bharmaur has been used to retain the colloquial flavour. 106 India : People and Economy 2021-22 Fig. 9.2 and narrowing the gap in the level of The most significant contribution of tribal development between Bharmaur and other sub-plan in Bharmaur region is the development areas of Himachal Pradesh. This plan laid the of infrastructure in terms of schools, healthcare highest priority on development of transport facilities, potable water, roads, communications and communications, agriculture and allied and electricity. But the villages located along the activities, and social and community services. river Ravi in Holi and Khani areas are the main Planning and Sustainable Development in Indian Context 107 2021-22 beneficiaries of infrastructural development. The century. In the post World War II era, the concept remote villages in Tundah and Kugti areas still of development was synonymous to economic do not have sufficient infrastructure. growth which is measured in terms of temporal The social benefits derived from ITDP increase in gross national product (GNP) and per include tremendous increase in literacy rate, capita income/per capita consumption. But, improvement in sex ratio and decline in child even the countries having