ADVERTISEMENTS:
This article provides information about the approach and strategy required for the successful implementation of planning:
Micro-level planning is considered as a method to bring about integrated area development in the countryside. It is, however, not limited to any particular settlement. Micro-planning takes a whole hierarchy of central places and its hinterlands as its focus.
https://www.sociologydiscussion.com/planning/approach-and-strategy-required-for-the-successful-implementation-of-planning/1109
ADVERTISEMENTS:
The emphasis in micro-planning is a planning from the lowest level upward to a clearly defined area or region. In many cases, this region may be coterminous with the district. In doing this, the needs of the local areas as well as the purpose of regional development are served. The location of specific socio-economic activities and their interlink ages over a region are major concerns of micro-planning.
The national plans while providing a broad framework of development, strategically, micro-planning helps fix priorities for different regions depending on their specific need. It has been realised that without micro- level planning, no national plan can be properly implemented. At the same time, without national priorities, no micro-planning is possible.
Therefore, for all practical purposes, both the ‘macro’ and ‘micro’ methods of planning are complementary to each other, and their combined use is essential in bringing about an overall socio-economic development of the country. Or, to put it in another way, to make any development planning effective, there is a need to follow a two- pronged approach working simultaneously and in a coordinated way from the grassroots level up, and the national level down.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
Micro-planning, in its true perspective, attempts to address the emerging socio-economic problems at various territorial levels. It offers a planning within a spatial framework so that all kinds of resources and endowments may be utilised fully and the fruits of development could be equally shared socially. At some point, micro-planning is often made synonymous with ‘regional’ and ‘area’ planning.
From policy considerations, micro-planning provides a realistic approach for the socio-economic development particular for a country like India where regional disparities and imbalances are acute and problems of poverty and unemployment are alarming with specific features in the rural areas. It emphasises spatial process of development within the broad framework of the national plan giving due consideration to the spatial problems, resources and needs at the grassroot level.
The basic idea behind the micro-planning is to offer a “grass root” approach in discovering growth potentials and various impediments to development spatially. In 1970s, the “growth centre” model had been identified as a basic tool for micro-level planning and development in rural India. In micro-planning, major emphasis has been given to the development of weaker sections of the population and of the backward regions/areas. The concept of micro-planning was developed to bring planning efforts to district or block level for a balanced growth of all regions and all sections of population. Micro-planning came as a real breakthrough in the area of planning by offering a scientific local plan at the micro level.
Taking into account the geographical scope of micro-planning within which various development programme can be effectively organised and implemented, “micro- regions” were identified as suitable units for the formulation of area development plans because they were found sufficiently close to grass roots and afford opportunities for direct and active people’s participation and implementation of the plan.
The spatial process of development, being the sole criterion for micro-planning, emphasises planning from the lowest level i.e., from the cluster of villages upward to a clearly defined region. The rationale behind micro-level area planning is that, there is hierarchy of settlements based on availability of services with specialisation in an area and population which need to be located at the most appropriate places.
Micro-planning approach provides opportunity to the backward areas for development through different integrated area development programmes. It also offers a framework for decentralising economic and social activities by locating specific functions at appropriate places. Thus, location of specific socio-economic activities and their inter-linkage over a region are the major concerns of micro-level planning.
The approach of micro-planning in later period also led to introduction of several new ‘area specific’ development programmes. The more prominent of them are the Command Area Development (CAD), Desert Development Programme (DDP), Drought- Prone Area Development Programme (DPAP), Integrated Area Development Programme (IADP), Hill Area Development Programme (HADP), Tribal Area Development Programme (TADP) and Whole Village Development Programme (WVDP). They are directed at specific areas or region which suffer from some disabilities or are prone to certain hardships.
Micro-planning works as a bridge between national planning and local needs. To minimise the socioeconomic semblances and improving the living condition of masses, it tries to distribute the good result of development along regions and social groups and within regions. In other words, it can be said that it maintains balance in “planet and development” between national priorities and local needs.