What are recommendations of the G. V. K. Rao Committee?
Q. Which of the following are correct regarding G. V. K. Rao Committee?
1) G. V. K. Rao Committee was appointed by the Planning Commission in 1985.
2) Zila Parishad should be of prime importance in plan of democratic decentralization.
3) A post of District Development Commissioner must be created.- Published on 10 Mar 17a. 1, 2
b. 2, 3
c. 1, 2
d. All of the above
ANSWER: All of the above
Recommendations of the G. V. K. Rao Committee -
- Planning commission in 1985 appointed The Committee on Administrative Arrangement for Rural Development and Poverty Alleviation Programmes under the chairmanship of G. V. K. Rao.
- The Committee came to conclusion that bureaucratization of development administration opposed to the democratization has weakened the Panchayati Raj institutions.
- This has resulted in what is aptly called as ‘grass without roots’.
The recommendations to strengthen and revitalize the Panchayati Raj system made were -
1. The district level body, Zila Parishad, should be primary in the plan of democratic decentralization.
2. It stated that “the district is the proper unit for planning and development and the Zila Parishad should become the principal body for management of all development programs which can be handled at that level.”
3. The Panchayati Raj institutions at the district and lower levels must be assigned an important role with respect to planning, implementation and monitoring of rural development programs.
4. For effective decentralized district planning, some of the planning functions at the state level should be transferred to the district level planning units.
5. District Development Commissioner post must be created.
6. He would be the chief executive officer of the Zila Parishad.
7. He should be in charge of all development departments at the district level.
8. Regular elections to the Panchayati Raj institutions.
- Thus, the committee assigned a primary role to the Panchayati Raj in local planning and development.
- It is in this respect that the recommendations of the G. V. K. Rao Committee Report (1986) were different from those of the Dantwala Committee Report on Block-Level Planning (1978) and the Hanumantha Rao Committee Report on District Planning (1984).
- Both the committees suggested that the basic decentralised planning function should be done at the district level.
- The Hanumantha Rao Committee advocated separate district planning bodies under either the District Collector or a minister.
- The Collector played a significant role in the decentralised planning in both the models.
- The Hanumantha Rao committee recommended that the Collector should be the coordinator, at the district level, of all developmental and planning activities.
- Thus the, Hanumantha Rao Committee differed in this respect from those of Balwant Rai Mehta Committee, the Administrative Reforms Commission of India, the Ashok Mehta Committee and the G. V. K. Rao Committee.
- G. V. K. Rao Committee recommended reduction in the developmental role of the District Collector.
- It assigned a major role to the Panchayati Raj in developmental administration.
