In the first and second five years, India's approach to development was mainly centralized planning from a financial and framing perspective. There are many drawbacks to centralized planning, some are listed below:
- local problems get ignored
- Not inclusive development
- Local Environmental issues not handled
- It is top to down approach
To overcome this planning, the first time, the Mehta Committee report in 1957 supported decentralized planning, the following are characteristics of Decentralized planning:
- Bottom to top approach
- implementation of some functions at the local level. It is a more Democratic and responsive form of development.
In Multi-level planning, countries can be divided into many regions and regions can be further divided into many sub-regions based on geographical, administrative, cultural, and political uniqueness. Planning is done at a sub-regional level that will provide bases for regional planning and further it will provide the basis of country-level planning.
In multi-level Planning is similar to decentralized planning, but it is done at more than two levels. Each level has a well-defined function and they are functionally independent. Planning in each level is done in a synchronized manner and also they are connected with feedback loops.
But finally, in 1992-93 multi-level planning was made mandatory in the state through 73rd and 74th Constitution amendment acts.
As of now, the following are the various level of planning in India:
- Centre-Sectoral Planning, inter-state planning
- States- Regional Planning, Inter-regional planning, sectoral planning,
- Districts-sub regional, regional planning,
- Blocks-areas planning
- Villages-village planning,
Importance of Multilevel planning in regional development in India:
- India is a very diverse country both geographically and culturally; one plan at the national level can not be suitable for all over India, hence multi-level planning is very much needed for India.
- Framing policy at the multi-level would be catering to the actual ground level requirement for the basic necessity. Multi-level planning helps to address local-level problems. For example,
- Some villages facing water scarcity hence policy should be on water conservation
- Some region has flood problems, the policy should be to avoid flood and strengthen infrastructure.
- It will help to reduce the regional disparity in India.
- It helps to better utilization of resources because local people participate more and policy is designated for the regional requirements.
- It uses local knowledge and techniques from local people experts to solve local issues.
- The involvement of local people provides quick and pragmatic feedback to planners and also provides a solution.
- Corruption will be minimized as local people audit the implementation.
- Multilevel planning is more sustainable than single-level planning.
- Experience in regional planning in India
- Five Year Plans
- Integrated rural development programs
- Panchayati Raj and decentralized planning
- Command area development
- Watershed management
- Planning for the backward area
- Desert areas development
- Drought-prone area development
- Hill areas development
- Tribal area development
- Multi-level planning
- Regional planning and development of the island territories
- Development disparity
- Importance of Multi-level planning in the regional development of India
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