Rural Development in Bangaru Telangana

As per 2011 census, the rural population of Telangana is 213.95 lakh representing 61.12% of the total population 350.04 lakh. The Rural Development department is implementing programmes like MGNREGS, Watershed Development, Self-Help Groups in the State.

The large chunk of population is concentrated in rural areas, thus accelerating their development and ensures benefits of the development reach equitably call for the evaluation of an appropriate rural development planning strategy – a strategy that strengthens various indicators of rural development as also brings a qualitative change in their reach to all sections of the society.

In order to achieve this objective, Telangana has opted for a strategy of decentralized planning in order to fulfill the dreams and aspirations of the people; there is an imperative need to change the paradigm of the planning process, so as to reflect the felt needs of the people in the policies and programmes. Towards, this end democratic decentralization was considered an effective strategy that will give rise to new initiative under nomenclature ‘Grama Jyothi programme” as a logical continuation of ‘ Manna-Ooru – Manna Pranalika”.

Hitherto, there is top-down bureaucratic model of planning process, through this decentralized planning process, an endeavour was made to shift the existing model of planning process into more meaningful model of “bottom- up model” through people’s participation in the planning process for initiating socio-economic transformation in rural areas with the prime objective of rural infrastructure and improving the living conditions of the rural people, especially the weaker sections.

This is also in tune with the principles stipulated under the 73rd amendment of the constitution of India to transfer funds, functions and functionaries to the Gram Panchyathis and Local Bodies.

Grama Jyothi

The objective of Grama Jyothi is to improve the service delivery to the people in core sectors through the strengthening of the Gram Panchayats by bringing together the efforts of various departments working at the Gram Panchayat level which are hitherto working independently of one another.

Grama Jyothi aims to synergise the developmental activities to of the departments by achieving functional and financial convergence through the preparation of Gram Panchayat Developmental Plans. GramaJyothi seeks to exploit the enormous collective energy of the people by making those active partners in the development process, Decision Making and take good advantage of the Social Capital at the Village level.

The goal of Grama Jyothi brings in much-desired accountability, transparency in the functioning of public institutions Woking at Gram Panchayat level and make them responsive to the needs of the people by establishing.

The Process

The concept of “ Grama Jothi” involved holistic development of Grama Panchyathi by preparing a perspective plan and monitoring and coordination plan, with a focus on provision of basic amenities such as roads, drains, sanitation, drinking water, street lights, generate wage employment and green the village through ‘Haritha Haram’ for a period of 4 to 5 years.

While the monitoring and coordination plan focuses on improved service delivery in the Health and nutrition, education, agriculture and animal husbandry sectors.

The perspective plan also focuses on livelihood, poverty and social security and welfare of the people especially with much emphasis on special development plan for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe in planning and providing basic amenities such as housing, income generating schemes to the socially disadvantaged people of SCs and STs, for with funds can be accessed under SCSP and TSP.

The concept was discussed during the Collector’s conference held on 30-07-2015 at Dr.MCR, HRD, which was addressed by the Hon’ble Chief Minister and one day workshop at Prof. Jayashanker Agriculture University with Collectors, SPs, CEOs, DPOs and Change agents.

The Outcome

The programme was organized throughout the State from 17-8-2015 to 24-08-2015. Under this process, perspective plans were prepared for 8695 Gram Panchyathis duly constituting 61043 functional committees with an identified 154896 goals and all the data is being uploaded in Grama Jyothi website. While perspective plans were prepared to identify the goals under different scheme that are being implemented by various departments of the State as follows:

Scheme	Total goals identified
Dirking water and sanitation
Health & Nutrition
Education
Social Security and poverty Reduction
Natural Resource Management
Agriculture
Infrastructure