The dimension of ‘development’ was often forgotten weapon against the insurgency and social upheaval in the red-corridor of India. Fortunately, the new ‘faces’ at MoRD brought the much needed freshness and innovation in holistic development in the backward regions across India.
In simple terms, additional financial resources and autonomy along with flexibility is provided to the district administrators. More importantly, focused and determined political will to shore-up the socio-economic development has been the defining feature.
To win the hearts and minds of the socio-economically and also psychologically alienated poor is always a challenging task. Here, the solutions seem to be a mirage but they are always simple. An unrelenting focus and effort is required to discover such solutions.
(i) In the year (2010-11), a block-grant of ` 25 crore was made available to each of the 60 selected districts for which the schemes will be decided by a Committee headed by the District Collector with District SP and District Forest Officer as members. During the year 2011-12, the block grant will be raised to ` 30 crore per district. The scheme will be reviewed for implementation in the 12th Plan at a later stage.
(ii) The existing KBK plan under BRGF will continue as before with annual allocation of ` 130 crore for all eight districts put together. The eight KBK districts have also been included under the IAP and will get additional block grant of ` 25 crore per district in the current year and suitable additional amount under both State and District Components of IAP in the subsequent years.
(iii) The scheme will focus on improvements in governance and specific preconditions will need to be complied with by the States before availing of the second tranche of the proposed additional financial assistance in 2011-12 under the State Component of the IAP. However, these conditionalities will not apply to the District Components of IAP.
(iv) The scheme will focus on effective implementation of the Provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA) and the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 (Forest Rights Act).
(v) A mechanism for procurement and marketing of MFPs, including issues of manpower requirement, capacity building and development of value chain specific to MFPs would be worked out by the Planning Commission, in consultation with the Ministry of Panchayati Raj and Ministry of Tribal Affairs. The administrative mechanism for enforcement of the minimum support price for MFP in accordance with the mechanism so work out will be the responsibility of the State Government concerned.
(vi) The District Component will be administered by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj and the State Component by the Planning Commission.
Well, the unprecedented focus on LWE affected regions of India with a development dimension is the right step. However, the learning and constant improvement of the initiative should be kept in mind to achieve substantive results.
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