Centre for revamp of 20-point programme

Ahead of elections to seven assemblies next year, the central government has proposed a comprehensive review of the 20-point programme, originally initiated by late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and restructured thrice since.

The revamping has also become necessary because of attempts by the Planning Commission to bring down the number of centrally sponsored schemes (CSS) from 147 to 59.

The last such revamp of the 20-point programme (TPP) was in 2006, after which there have been yearly review meetings between the central and state governments, and line ministries.

“The TPP is a very important one of the government, but it will succeed only if there is proper monitoring. District collectors and local officials have to work together,” minister for statistics and programme implementation Srikant Jena said on Friday at the annual national review meeting of the programme with states, union territories and central nodal ministries.

He said though the programme had achieved many milestones, more focused implementation and monitoring was needed for the full benefits to reach the poor.

The programme was initiated in 1975 and restructured in 1982, 1986 and 2006. Since 2006, a number of initiatives on social and infrastructure development have been taken, officials said.

They gave the example of Bharat Nirman, a major programme in the 11th Plan (2007-08 to 2011-12).

Officials said of 65 schemes listed under the TPP of 2006, two — quick and inexpensive justice, and sports for all in rural and urban areas — were yet to be operationalised.

Besides, the Accelerated Rural Water Supply Programme (ARWSP) has been renamed National Rural Drinking Programme, with new parameters. Under the flagship programme, some are not fully covered under the existing TPP, they added.

States, they said, had complained that the number of CSS is too large.

The Planning Commission recently constituted a group of experts on this issue, which agreed.

Another common complaint of states in the just concluded National Development Council meeting was the absence of flexibility in CSS for tailoring to local need.

The experts panel, under B K Chaturvedi, suggested pruning the number of CSS to 59 from the current 147, plus changes in the fiscal norms and normal central assistance.

It said CSS with less than Rs 100 crore annual outlay should either be stopped or merged with bigger schemes or transferred to the states.

The ministry also plans a web portal for the TPP, where states and line ministries who run the various social welfare programmes could upload information.

“The performance of most of the sub-programmes under the TPP has improved in the past one year, except for ARWSP,” Jena said.