Promoting decentralisation of power in the planning process, Chief Minister Pema Khandu announced that his government’s next major reform would be the implementation of ‘bottom-to-top’ planning.
Khandu said that the “old way” of planning must be replaced with a new process that incorporates schemes and projects prioritised and recommended by the people themselves.
The chief minister explained that, for this to happen, plans are in progress, with a meeting scheduled for mid-January to finalise the process. This will involve each district and key stakeholders. Each district will prioritise its needs and scope and submit recommendations to the government, which will be then incorporated into the state’s annual plan.
Khandu’s push for a “bottom-to-top” approach to planning shows a commitment to involving local communities in decision-making, which could ensure that resources are allocated where they are most needed.
If implemented, such a process could be a game changer. However, one cannot help but feel a bit sceptical, as this has often been cited as a goal but rarely implemented on the ground. Governments have come and gone, but few changes have been seen. Policies are often framed by the Centre, which lacks a deep understanding of local requirements of the border state which has its unique challenges and characteristics. Even if the state is ambitious in its plans, it remains financially unstable and still relies on the Centre for most of its needs. For the ambitious plan to succeed, the first step should be plugging the existing gap.