D.R. Patil, vice-chairman of the Karnataka Decentralised Planning and Development Committee, on Wednesday emphasised that people’s participation is essential when the government formulates development plans meant for the public.
Speaking at a meeting of Mysuru division officials held at the Zilla Panchayat, Mr. Patil said that development becomes easier when officials work according to legal procedures.
Pointing out that public expectations are high and gathering information from citizens is often challenging, he said officials are being guided on prioritising key issues during the planning process and on identifying beneficiaries during implementation.
He noted that the meetings aim to strengthen people-centric development planning. District-level planning must be prepared in advance and submitted to the Chief Minister before the State Budget, he added.
While people’s participation is evident in gram sabhas at the village-level, urban areas continue to show poor involvement. To bridge this gap, Mr. Patil instructed heads of urban local bodies to select two members for every 100 voters before December 6 to form neighbourhood groups. These groups will later form the ward sabhas tasked with preparing urban development plans.
