IIt is budget time once again. Experts come to the media and meetings. They discuss what to spend, but rarely debate how to do it. The hidden ‘common man’ of Mahila Mandal and RK Laxman is missing from many such discussions. Given India’s diversity and the community engagement required for infrastructure development, last-mile challenges are often not the subject of such discourse.
Now the time has come that the ‘public budget’ should come into the hands of the people. What we need is a bottom-up budget that reflects the needs of the people. Sabki Yojana Sabka Vikas—the annual people’s planning campaign under the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, which was launched in 2017—and the Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP) under Mission Antyodaya and the ranking of village councils are the specific outcomes that actually determine the association. Will focus on the budget. a similar exercise colony There is an urgent need to scale up in every urban ward to capture the real life challenges of the underprivileged. Many states have been keen on this. A high employment rate and a large number of micro, small and medium production systems will emerge in the country if the budget changes its approach towards community connection.
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Sikkim, Bihar, Kerala model
Budget discussions are not given attention where they should be. A huge amount is spent on Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) schemes where local governments have a constitutional role and responsibility. No one is thinking about how Sikkim succeeded bring down There has been a significant reduction in stunting, wasting and child malnutrition between 2015-16 and 2019-21. No one talks about the utilization of MGNREGA in Sikkim spring-shed development Which enabled Gujarat like tap water for almost every household. No one talks about the state’s dairy sheds and the widespread use of cow dung and urine promotion of organic farming, cardamom plantations, and high-value crops such as flowers, fruits, and fodder. Women-led development, decision-making by community groups, and a commitment to providing basic health care and education explain Sikkim’s success.
If Sikkim is small enough for ease of operation, how did Bihar emerge as one of the leading states in providing safe drinking water through the tap? The Bihar government fought court cases to ensure local ownership and participation of ward-level elected leaders (below village panchayat leaders) in providing drinking water. women’s collective, livelihood program and 50 percent women Being elected to panchayats makes a difference in deepening local democracy. There have been challenges in the quality and regularity of tap water but local solutions are being found by giving the responsibility of maintenance to the local people.
Kerala has one of the most accountable systems of local governance, with many services available online. Kudumbashree women’s collective Makes elected panchayat leaders accountable. Tourism in Kerala is such a luxury as you do not find heaps of plastic garbage as cleanliness and good hygiene have become a way of life there. Beggars and slum dwellers are not visible on the streets as most of the people have a house and a source of livelihood. You do not encounter low wage workers demanding extra tip for everything as everyone is paid minimum wage to maintain dignity of labor. Drivers have places to sleep in hotels and rest houses and do not have to sit in their car seats.
Through decentralization, technology, and community mobilization, it has been possible to overcome the success of pro-poor public welfare schemes across the country and the wealth gap of the underprivileged. Bank accounts for women, immunization programs, gas and electricity connections, rural housing, sanitation, and LED bulbs have been made possible largely because of community-led missions, where each vertical empire is distributed horizontally across 63,974 purposively selected villages. contributes. Gram Swaraj Abhiyan In 2018. Economist Jean Dreze Admits Profits in His November 2022 Article in The Indian Express that “the improvement in facilities in the second period (2015-16 to 2019-21) is more a reflection of public policy and subsidies rather than an increase in income. The impact of public policy in this area deserves appreciation.”
The Union Budget should seek a consensus among governments (central, state and local), political parties and citizens alike to address the challenges of human capital, employment and livelihoods that continue to threaten our economic dream. east asian wonder Provides a human capital lesson. At home, poverty reduction in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Mizoram is related to gender equality and human capital.
focus locally
It is a very special moment of 75 years in the history of democratic India which calls for a developed India for all by 2047. Education, health, nutrition, livelihood and skills are the pathways to the development of the full human potential of every citizen. Infrastructure and community connections have improved in these areas over the past decade and a half. The challenge is to push it at the local level with technology as a tool. India’s century can emerge only from this consensus for social development and economic progress transcending states, regions, religions, castes and creeds. The budget is its starting point.
We need to launch a panchayat and urban local body led mission in partnership with community mobilization for development interventions. Only better human capital will encourage private investment in the hitherto underinvested areas of the country. Good governance, infrastructure and human capital drive investment decisions and this time becomes the sole focus of the budgeting exercise on those occasions. Businesses have to be built on the foundation of human capital and women-led development process.
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budget with margin
The message is clear. Budget announcements should outline the ‘how’ of decentralisation, not just statements of intent and allocations. Decentralized community action within a constitutionally prescribed framework is the way forward. Local governments should mandatorily be assigned responsibility for 29 areas in the 11th Schedule for rural areas and 18 areas in the 12th Schedule for urban areas. Stop spending in these areas without local government and community approval. Allow local governments to initially change budget lines by up to 30 percent based on community needs and priorities. Move from mistrust to trust through real-time monitoring, Aadhaar linked direct benefit transfer, financial and social audit, and technology.
It’s budget time with a difference. How much we spend is more important than what we allocate. All sectors will get value for money through local ownership of projects. The emphasis on infrastructure and logistics is good, but let it also pass through to local communities to enable integration, convergence and coordinated action.
Our cost of infrastructure will go down if we invest in better community connections and technical institutional partnerships on new technologies and alternatives. Systematic detailed project reports need to be prepared and budget lines need to be broken down into specific tangible activities.
It is only through a need-oriented, local government-led, transparent emphasis on human capital and livelihood diversification that the budget will deliver results for sustained human and economic progress.
Amarjeet Sinha is a retired civil servant. Thoughts are personal.
(Edited by Ratan Priya)