Local - level planning and development / edtied by R. P. Mishra

This volume has emerged from a research-cum-action programme in local-level planning in Bangladesh. It is intended to acquaint planners and development officers engaged in local planning in the developing countries with some of the basic concepts, approaches, methodologies which must be grasped in order to be successful. We propose to bring out a companion volume on project planning and management for local deve lopment in due course to supplement and complement the materials being published here.

Importance of this book lies in the growing concern with inadequacies of local planning and development processes in almost all developing coun tries. Planning is still a top-down process and those engaged in this process at the local-level do nothing but execute the projects which have been handed down from above. While we cannot deny the importance of centre-down process of planning especially in the context of various deve Jopment constraints in Third World countries, we now increasingly realized that central planning cannot succeed unless there is a matching process of 'planning from below'.

Local-level planning is another term for planning from below. In essence, it means that the intended beneficiaries of development, particularly the weaker sections of the society, must be active agents to generate and manage development. They are not to receive development. They are to generate development.

This means that people at the local-level must organize themselves into viable spatial units to mobilize the local resources for mutual benefit and to manage the projects and resources coming from outside either through government or other channels. Such an organization or organizations should work in cooperation with various governmental agencies, so that the people and the government can pool their resources-physical and human-to create a better life for the people. As one surveys the local development scene, planning and development roles are essentially played by [the governmental agencies. People are only the recipients of development. Local institutions representing the people are not commonly found and wherever they exist they are too weak to be effective. As a consequence, people participate in development as indivi duals seeking the fulfilment of their individual/family needs often at the cost of those who are economically and socially weak to benefit from programmes and projects launched by the national governments. The first prerequisite of local-level planning and development is there

fore a viable people's organization with a dynamic leadership. The second is a close cooperation and coordination between the people's institution(s) and government agencies. And the third is the adequate knowledge and understanding of why, what and how of local-level planning.

This volume is meant to partially meet the requirements of the last prerequisite. It is addressed to local-level leaders, government officials and voluntary agencies working at the local-level to generate development from below. It is hoped that it would not only be a welcome addition to literature in this growing field but also inspire many a planner to initiate action programmes which will involve the people at every stage of planning and development at the local level.