The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Bill to replace DDRCs with planning panels

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jul 16, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Bill to replace DDRCs with planning panels

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, JULY 15. The State Cabinet, which met here on Thursday, decided to introduce a Bill replacing the ordinance promulgated earlier by the Telugu Desam Government to replace DDRCs (District Development Review Committees) with District Planning Committees.

The Cabinet that reviewed the Panchayat Raj Act also decided to earmark the vice-chairperson position for Zilla Parishad chairpersons.

The necessity of the District Planning Committees has long been felt to make the local governments acquire the dynamism lost due to strengthening of the bureaucracy at their cost. In spite of the abolition of the latter's authority by way of abolition of District Development Boards (DDBs), which had district Collectors as chairpersons in 1970, the anticipated result was not seen. The DPCs have not been constituted in spite of a clear Constitutional mandate to do so. The DPCs are expected to prepare the district-level development plan and forward it to the State Government. Though the State Government had constituted DDRCs, as the committees did not have any functional linkage with the local Governments, it did not help the matter much. The absence of the DPCs and the functioning of the DDRC go against the spirit of the 73/74 Constitutional amendments.

The Cabinet is also learnt to have decided to promulgate an ordinance to remove chairpersons of market committees and other similar positions to facilitate appointment of new persons to head the same. Only a very few nominated to such positions had tendered resignations following the change of guard in the State.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Andhra Pradesh