The Scheme of Development Boards and its Achievements(Activities)

Activities of the Development Boards

The Governor has in his order (the Development Boards Order, 1994) dated 30 April 1994, specified the following functions of the Boards :

ascertain the relative levels of development in different sectors in relation to its area on the basis of appropriate indicators, having regard to the levels of development in the State as a whole;
assess the impact of various development efforts in removing backlog and in achieving overall development within its area;
suggest the levels of development expenditure over the area of the Development Boards during a Plan period including the Annual Plan;
prepare an annual reports on its working and send it, as far as practicable, within three months after the end of every financial year to the Governor for placing it before the Maharashtra State Legislature.

A. Ascertaining relative levels of development

After constitution of the Development Boards in 1994, the Governor appointed a Joint Committee of the Development Boards namely the Indicators and Backlog Committee in 1995 to ascertain relative levels of development in different sectors in the three regions on the basis of appropriate indicators and to assess the backlog of the three regions. The Committee identified the backlog at Rs. 14,006.77 crore as on 1994. The State Government and the Governor accepted the recommendations in the report and the backlog removal on the basis of the report was started from the Annual Plan 2001-02.

Apart from the sectors where the Committee had identified backlog, the Volume-II on “the status of development of some sectors in the State of Maharashtra” was submitted to the Governor by the Indicators and Backlog Committee on 27 September 2000 at Nagpur. The sectors covered in the report are Agricultural Development, Rural Development, Industrial Development, Energy, Mining, Transport & Communication, Employment & Services, Social Welfare and Welfare of Backward Classes, and Tribal Development in the State of Maharashtra. This report has been sent to the Planning Department for appropriate action.

B. Assessing impact of various development efforts

Regarding the other important function of the Development Boards, namely assessing the impact of the various development efforts in removing backlog and achieving overall development within a Board’s area, the Governor had directed the Development Boards to identify two or three major areas of importance in their regions and form study groups of experts to come up with report on the impact of the schemes in selected areas of study. Such reports provide a basis for future planning exercise and would also provide useful input to the government for making budget allocations in future. These reports help to know the exact nature of shortcomings in the implementation of particular programmes / schemes. The Development Boards have completed/undertaken the following assessment studies. The completed study reports have been forwarded to the concerned administrative departments for appropriate action.

1. Vidarbha Development Board

Status and usefulness of urban water supply schemes.
Poor performance of students in Nagpur and Amravati region at the HSC exams : reasons and remedial measures.
Energisation of agricultural pumpsets.
Soya-bean cultivation in Melghat-Exploitation of tribal cultivators.
Infant mortality in tribal areas : reasons and remedial measures.
Industrial backwardness of Vidarbha: reasons and remedial measures.
Employment of local persons in industrial sector.
Problems of Co-operative Spinning Mills in Vidarbha and measures suggested thereon.

2. Marathwada Development Board

Impact of social forestry programme in Aurangabad district during the decade (1985-95) and strategies for future.
Impact of anti-poverty programmes especially IRDP on Parbhani district.
Women’s self help groups and their role in rural development and female literacy in Osmanabad and Latur districts.
Working of Primary Health Centres in Marathwada region.
Kolhapur type weirs in Osmanabad district.
Watershed Development programme in Aurangabad district.

3. Rest of Maharashtra Development Board

Training programmes of newly elected women members in Panchayats and Municipal Councils.
Functioning of Ashramshalas.
Minor lift irrigation schemes.
Training programmes of Dais in ante natal and post natal care.
Horticulture Development programme in the State of Maharashtra with special reference to dry land horticulture.
Comparative study of backward talukas in rest of Maharashtra.

C. Annual Reports of the Boards

The Development Boards are required to prepare annual reports on its working at the end of every financial year and send it to the Governor for placing before the State Legislature. The reports of the Boards give an account of the activities of the Boards, summary of recommendations made by the Boards to the Governor and other relevant information. The reports are laid down before the State Legislature as required by the Constitution.