Question : CONSTITUTION OF DPCS

(a) whether the Union Government has made it mandatory to constitute District Planning Commissions (DPCs) in the districts under Backward Regions Grant Fund (BRGF);

(b) if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor;

(c) whether the development of most backward districts is not taking place as a result of which lakhs of people of these villages are migrating to other States; and

(d) if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor along with the steps being taken by the Union Government for the development of backward districts in the country?

MINISTER OF STATE FOR PANCHAYTI RAJ (SHRI NIHAL CHAND)

(a) to (b): The constitution of the District Planning Committees (DPCs) is a pre-requisite for consideration of proposals under the District Component of the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF). The participatory plans, prepared by each Panchayat and Municipality in a district covered under the BRGF are required to be conso- lidated and approved as District Plans by the respective DPCs constituted in accordance with Article 243 ZD of the Constitution. No funds are released to a district if the District Plan is not approved by the DPC of the district.

(c) to (d): This Ministry has not received any report indicating that people are migrating from villages to other States due to poor implementation of the BRGF. During the XIth Five Year Plan, this Ministry had released Rs 21623 crores to the States and during the current Five Year Plan Rs. 9339.45 crores have been released so far. Funds under the District Component of the BRGF provide financial resources for supplementing and converging existing developmental inflows into the identified backward districts so as to bridge critical gaps in local infrastructure and other development requirements that are not being adequately met through the existing inflows. As per the progress reports received in the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, funds under the BRGF have been utilized for development of infrastructure facilities like construction of anganwadi centres, panchayat ghars, roads, culverts, bridges, community halls, water supply, etc., in the backward districts.