Decentralization:Top down planning and bottom up planning
Decentralised planning is a kind of percolation of planning activities or process from the Centre to the sub- state levels, i.e., district, sub-division, block and village level. Since the inception of First Plan, the importance of decentralised planning was emphasised in order to achieve active people’s participation in the planning process.
Top down planning
Pros
- Economic planning is assumed to modify the restraining influence of limited resources by recognizing the existence of particular constraints and by choosing and coordinating investment projects so as to channel these scarce factors into their most productive outlets.
- Planning is necessary to take care of the poor and the downtrodden who have little asset endowments to benefit from the natural growth of economic activities. Poverty alleviation programmes have definitively helped in reducing poverty and generating employment.
- Planning process manages the flow of resources across regions for accelerated removal of regional disparities and thus brings about integration of such regions into the mainstream of economic activity in the country.
- Public sector investment has a major role to play in strengthening of the physical infrastructure, i.e., energy, transport, communication and irrigation etc. in order to support the growth process on a sustainable basis.
- It is the Government and its planning process which is adequate for protecting environment, forest and ecology.
Cons
- This economic system sees planners not being able to accurately predict shortages, surpluses and consumer preferences, which entails that they cannot also allocate resources efficiently. This would result in some areas having abundance of goods that cannot be sold and other areas experiencing shortages. On the other hand, a free market allocates resources based on the price system, making sure they will go where demand and supply are dictated.
- Opponents say that this system will lead to dissent among citizens, as their basic right of free will is going to be challenged. This means that it will eventually lead to the citizens revolting against the government.
- It has been observed that a centrally planned economy can stifle economic freedom, as citizens would have no incentive to take entrepreneurial risks or innovate. As you can see, central planners suppress the profit motive by considering decisions from entrepreneurs and transferring them to the state. As economists believe, society functions best when the economy is guided by invisible hand, which rewards personal economic freedom, but central planning restricts this strategy.
Bottom up planning
Pros
Following are some of the important functional factors responsible for adoption of decentralised planning in the present context in India:
- Considering the huge size and proportion of rural population in India, it is felt that proper linkages must be established between dispersed small villages and also between such villages and adjacent small towns by developing appropriate infrastructural facilities such as feeder roads, improved transport facilities, marketing and storage facilities, health and sanitation facilities and other welfare centres. Under decentralised planning better linkages between villages and small towns can be developed under local conditions, priorities and resources.
- Decentralised planning is considered as more realistic as it maintains a close coordination between locally available resources, local skills, local manpower and local requirements. It is considered as a flexible one as it is easily adjustable and adaptable under the changing local conditions and requirements. Moreover, it is considered as the practical one as it can fulfill the normal requirements of the rural population. Adaptation and flexibility of planning largely depends upon the environment prevailing in each region and sub-region. Thus decentralised planning can achieve the best result in implementing plan projects at the local level.
- Decentralised planning is suitable for the development of agricultural and allied activities such as animal husbandry, horticulture, fisheries, forestry along with development of village and cottage industries.
- Decentralised planning can promote 24.9-48.3 48.6-11.4 42.9-11.4 132.3-11.4 132.3s0 89.4 11.4 132.3c6.3 23.7 24.8 41.5 48.3 47.8C117.2 448 288 448 288 448s170.8 0 213.4-11.5c23.5-6.3 42-24.2 48.3-47.8 11.4-42.9 11.4-132.3 11.4-132.3s0-89.4-11.4-132.3zm-317.5 213.5V175.2l142.7 81.2-142.7 81.2z"/> Subscribe on YouTube