Block-Level Planning

Planning should function on various levels such as the block, district, state, national and global levels.

Block-level planning will be the basic level of planning.

• This is essential for economic decentralization, so it should be adopted in all blocks.

There should be provision in the constitution for block-level planning for socio-economic development.

The amount of natural and human resources varies from block to block, hence separate economic plans will have to be made for each and every block.

There should be a block-level planning board in every block for this purpose.

The block-level planning body will prepare a plan for the development of the block and accordingly implement the local developmental programmes.

Above the block level there will be a district-level planning board.

Thus, from the block level upwards, there will be planning boards to prepare and implement the local plans and programmes. It must be remembered that planning should be of ascending order, starting at the block level, and including all the levels of a socio-economic unit.

The blocks should not be created from political divisions. Instead, they should be reorganized according to:

• the physical features of the area
  • river valleys
  • climatic conditions
  • topography
  • the nature of the soil
  • the type of flora and fauna, etc.
• the socio-economic requirements
• the problems of the people
• the physico-psychic aspirations of the people.

Thus, blocks should be scientifically and systematically demarcated as the basis for efficient decentralized economic planning.

Each block should be made economically sound so that the entire socio-economic unit will be self-sufficient.

Only then will a country or federation become economically strong and developed in the real sense. This is a unique feature of PROUT’s decentralized economic planning.

Intra-block Versus Inter-block planning

When planning is prepared for the all-round growth of a single block exclusively, it is called “intra-block planning”.

Each block must have its own developmental plan, adjusting with the overall plan of the socio-economic unit at its various levels.

However, there are problems which traverse block boundaries and cannot be tackled or solved by one block alone, such as:

• flood control
• river valley projects
• communication systems
• higher educational institutions
• afforestation projects
• the environmental impact of development
• the establishment of key industries
• soil erosion
• water supply
• power generation
• the establishment of an organized market system, etc.

So, cooperation among blocks is necessary.

Planning among blocks is called “inter-block planning”.

• This is an economic venture into some selected fields to organize and harmonize socio-economic development in a few adjoining blocks through mutual coordination and cooperation.

At each and every level of planning, there should be short-term and long-term planning.

• The maximum time limit for short-term planning should be 6 months.
• The maximum time limit for long-term planning should be 3 years.

Short-term and long-term plans should be complementary to each other.

The immediate goals of planning at each level are to:

• guarantee the minimum requirements of the local people
• eliminate unemployment
• increase purchasing capacity
• make socio-economic units self-sufficient.

Benefits of Block-Level Planning

There are many benefits to block-level planning:

1. The area of planning is small enough for the planners to understand all the problems of the area.
2. Local leadership will be able to solve the problems according to local priorities
3. Planning will be more practical and effective and will give quick, positive results
4. Local socio-cultural bodies can play an active role in mobilizing human and material resources
5. Unemployment will be easily solved
6. The purchasing capacity of the local people will be enhanced
7. A base for a balanced economy will be established.
8. The development of local industries will provide immediate economic benefits.

The unemployment problem will be rapidly solved, and in a short time it will be possible to create a congenial environment for permanent full employment.

In fact, the only way to solve unemployment and bring about full employment throughout the world is by developing block-level industries.

The growth of local industries will provide social security to the local people and create greater opportunities for their all-round advancement, because all their basic needs will be met.

The population of every socio-economic unit should be organized on a scientific basis.

The problem of a floating population should be tackled on the block level itself.

Where there is a floating population, it should be either permanently settled or returned to its original region.

Differences in Planning

Differences in planning for different regions are natural. The planning for the Punjab and the Cauvery Valleys will be the different for 3 reasons:

1. The Jehlam, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej Rivers in the Punjab are all of Himalayan origin.

They provide a perennial source of water because they are ice fed. The Punjab rivers maintain their existence with the help of molten ice. But the rivers of the Cauvery Valley – the Tungabhadra and Cauvery – are of Ghat origin; that is, they originate in the Eastern Ghat and the Western Ghat. They depend upon seasonal rainfall. Although there are two rainy seasons in a year in the Cauvery Valley, they are not perennial sources of water because they are not ice fed. No hydroelectricity can be generated from the Cauvery Valley rivers because of the uncertainty of the water supply, but hydroelectricity can be generated at the Bhakhra Nangal Dam because the rivers in the Punjab contain water throughout the year.

2. The Cauvery Valley is nearer to the equator and has an extreme climate.

The Punjab also has an extreme climate, but this is due to the different winds coming from the northwest and the east. The Cauvery Valley does not depend on any winds. Climatic variations will have to be considered in areas such as agriculture and power generation.

3. The central portion of the Cauvery Valley consists of wavy, laterite soil and is called the Deccan Plateau.

There is a small slice of land situated between the hills and the sea which is comprised of alluvial soil and plain land. Only a small portion of the Deccan Plateau contains alluvial soil. The Punjab is plain land. The Deccan peninsula consists of four coasts – the Utkal Coast, stretching from the Mahanadi to Godavari; the Coromandel Coast, from Godavari to Cape Comorin; the Malabar Coast, from Cape Comorin to Goa; and the Konkan Coast, from Goa to Gujarat.

These coastal areas are not composed of wavy land. These coastal portions are known as the granaries of India. In the Telengana area of the Deccan Plateau, there is a chronic shortage of food. In the Cauvery Valley, the eastern coastal area – the Coromandel area – should chalk out a developmental programme. The Deccan Plateau can grow palmyra trees but not coconut trees, whereas the coastal areas can grow both.

A proper approach to planning will take into account all the relevant factors before development schemes are implemented.

1981, Calcutta