District plan panels likely to have a say in local projects

A SENIOR OFFICER, WORKING AS DM IN UTTAR PRADESH, AGREED THAT THE UTILITY OF THESE HAS COME DOWN

- Umesh Raghuvanshi

LUCKNOW: After passage of the Uttar Pradesh District Planning Committee (Amendment) Bill 2024 in the recently concluded winter session of the state legislature, the state government faces the challenge of empowering the district planning committees with a more substantial and meaningful role in the respective districts.

The new law has empowered the state government to nominate two village 'pradhans' as members of the district planning committees (for one year by rotation).

As most of the state government's schemes are formulated for the entire state with least possibility of any amendment at the local level, the district planning committees have ceased to have an effective role in the districts. The state government is now contemplating a move to make the district planning committees more effective.