Kelkar Panel report suggests 15-yr frame for achieving balanced devpt

* Makes 146 recommendations, suggests formula for region-wise allocation of funds, restructuring of Regional Development Boards with Chief Minister as Chairman
* As per the new formula, Rest of Maharashtra to get higher overall allocation than Vidarbha and Marathwada
* As reported earlier by ‘The Hitavada’, the report shifts focus of development debate from ‘backlog’ to ‘development gap’

By Kartik Lokhande
After a long wait of 14 months, finally, State Government tabled the report of the High-level Committee on Balanced Regional Development Issues in Maharashtra -- popularly called Kelkar Committee -- in both the Houses of State Legislature. As reported earlier by ‘The Hitavada’, the report shifts the development debate from ‘backlog’ to ‘development gap’, and makes 146 recommendations to achieve balanced development in a suggested time-frame of 15 years. However, the new formula suggested by the committee, continues to give higher financial allocation to Rest of Maharashtra (RoM) than Vidarbha and Marathwada.
Sudhir Mungantiwar, Finance and Planning Minister, tabled the report in both the Houses of the State Legislature on Tuesday. While tabling the report in the Assembly, Mungantiwar said that the Government had neither accepted nor rejected the committee recommendations. “We are tabling the report as per the Cabinet resolution,” he said. The discussion on the report will be held in Budget Session of State Legislature and the Government will obtain opinion of both the Houses before deciding on the recommendations. Chhagan Bhujbal, former Deputy Chief Minister and senior NCP leader, and Dilip Walse Patil, former Speaker and senior NCP leader, objected as to how the Kelkar Committee report featured in various newspapers even before it was tabled in the legislature.
K P Bakshi, Additional Chief Secretary (Planning), later addressed a press conference at Divisional Commissionerate here and explained various aspects related to the report. Dr V S Deshpande, Acting Vice-Chancellor of Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University (RTMNU) and a member of the committee; Anoop Kumar, Nagpur Divisional Commissioner, were present prominently at the press conference.
Bakshi told the reporters that the committee headed by noted economist Dr Vijay Kelkar had made 146 recommendations to achieve the goal of balanced development of Vidarbha, Marathwada, RoM regions, excluding Mumbai. The departments concerned are expected to cull the information pertaining to them. Secretaries of respective departments are expected to submit their opinions on relevant part of the report, to Planning Department within a month. A sub-committee comprising ministers and headed by Planning Minister will consider the opinions received from various departments, and then go before the State Cabinet. After that, the Government will formulate its strategy on implementation of the recommendations of the committee.
According to Bakshi, the committee has recommended division of plan component. First, the part for Scheduled Caste Sub-Plan (SCSP) and Tribal Sub-Plan (TSP) will be deducted from total plan component available. The remaining will be divided into general sector and water sector resources in the ratio 70:30. Of the total allocation to water sector (30 per cent of plan), 8.5 per cent will be a priority allocation to 44 water-stressed tehsils, 85 tehsils with ground water adversity, tehsils in saline belt of Buldhana-Akola-Amravati, and ex-Malgujari tanks in Nagpur Division. Of the remaining 91.5 per cent, allocation will be available for Water Resources, Water Conservation, Command Area Development Authority (CADA), and Water Supply and Sanitation (including Groundwater Survey and Development Agency) departments.
Further, the general sector resource pool available after deducting allocations for SCSP/TSP and water sector, will be divided further into divisible and non-divisible plans. Of these, 60 per cent resources will go to divisible plan and 40 per cent to non-divisible. Of the divisible plan in general sector, 30.78 per cent has been suggested for Vidarbha, 28.51 per cent for Marathwada, and 40.71 per cent for RoM.
Water sector and general sector resource pools combined together, the overall regional allocation percentages suggested by the committee are Vidarbha-- 33.24 per cent, Marathwada-- 25.31 per cent, and RoM-- 41.45 per cent. Compared to the existing formula for allocation of funds, a definite increase has been suggested for Vidarbha and Marathwada regions and decline for RoM. However, previously also, among three regions, RoM got higher allocation; and Kelkar Committee also has suggested higher allocation to RoM among three regions.
Asked if any deadlines were set for achieving the goals of balanced development, Bakshi said that the committee expected implementation of its recommendations for water sector by the year 2022. Further, it expected implementation of recommendations for other development sectors by the year 2027. “We have identified the recommendations of doable nature to be implemented in 15-year frame,” said Dr V S Deshpande. Making a power-point presentation about the report, Dr Deshpande told reporters that the committee had suggested to make two ‘virtual regions’ -- water and tribals, apart from the regular three regions of Vidarbha, Marathwada, and RoM. It has recommended a system to be set up to measure Tribal Development Index annually.

On Regional Development Boards There are several other recommendations of the Kelkar Committee. Already, ‘The Hitavada’ has published most of the recommendations through its columns. Among other significant recommendations is the one pertaining to restructuring and streamlining of Regional Development Boards (RDBs).
The committee has recommended the Chief Minister to be Chairman of RDBs and seniormost minister from the region as the Executive Chairman. Deputy Chief Minister, Ministers of Finance and Planning, Executive Chairman of State Planning Board, all ministers from that region, two MLAs, two MLCs, Mayors of two municipal corporations, Presidents of two municipal councils, Presidents of two Zilla Parishads, two eminent citizens from that region, and two experts will be on the Board for respective regions. Additional Chief Secretary and Regional Development Commissioner should be the Member Secretary.
The RDBs, it is suggested, should prepare comprehensive Five Year Perspective Plans and Annual Plans of the region. Plan resources should be devolved to the districts, and blocks as per the formula suggested by the committee. The boards will be entrusted with the responsibility of planning, supervision, and monitoring of development plans in respective regions. Further, an Empowered Group of Ministers from respective regions should be formed under the Executive Chairman of respective RDB for faster decision-making on the region-specific problems on plan implementation, the committee has recommended.

‘Baseline disparities further
aggravated in past 15 yrs’
Making a scathing comment on the state of affairs during the past 15 years in the State, the committee has recorded its observation without mincing words. “The baseline disparities between the agricultural or tribal areas versus the industrialised and urban concentrations were further aggravated during the past 15 years by the change in the structure of economic activities, and the regional shift in the political power in coalition governments.”
Asked to clarify on this comment, Dr V S Deshpande said in the press conference that baseline disparities had much to do with lack of creation of irrigation facilities to desired extent, problems in scheme implementation affecting the rate of growth in Vidarbha and Marathwada regions in particular, and political instability in these regions.
As to what went wrong, Bakshi and Dr Deshpande both said that their comments would be ‘personal opinions’ and not part of the report. “The biggest thing gone wrong was related to irrigation. Besides, there were problems with utilisation of available resources leading further to pendency of irrigation projects. And, certain factors also led to problems with non-plan allocation,” he said.

‘Have not recommended
autonomy to Vidarbha’
Making it amply clear that Kelkar Committee had not recommended autonomy to Vidarbha or any other such alternative, Additional Chief Secretary (Planning) K P Bakshi told reporters during the press conference that views of stakeholders were incorporated in the chapter on summary of Stakeholders’ Perspectives.
Further, Bakshi made it clear that the committee had not made any recommendation on providing free water and power to farmers. “These were demands or views that came up from people of Vidarbha region who participated in the consultation process. We have summarised those views in our report, but those are not our recommendations,” he said.
Interestingly, some section of the media has been reporting that the committee has strongly recommended statehood to Vidarbha. The report has a chapter ‘Stakeholders Perspectives’ from pages 31-64. Page 48 has a paragraph titled ‘Summing up for Vidarbha’ in which sentiments expressed by stakeholders during consultation process have been summarised.
The said paragraph starts with ‘The common belief of the people of Vidarbha voiced through their representatives is that...’ It goes on to sum up the sentiments of Vidarbha as follows, “If the blueprint of balanced development is not properly implemented, alternatives could be as follows: Important economic portfolios may now be shared with Vidarbha leaders, Sub-state status for Vidarbha as per 24th Amendment of 1969 as applied to Meghalaya as sub-state of Assam with independent legislature and ministers, and Statehood to Vidarbha -- as a follow up of alternative two, demand for statehood for Vidarbha on the pattern of Meghalaya carved out of Assam from sub-state to full statehood.”
However, the paragraph remains what it is -- a summary of sentiments of stakeholders from Vidarbha. “It is not part of our recommendations,” said Bakshi.
Despite the press conference, as some section of the media flashed the news that Kelkar Committee had recommended or was in favour of autonomous status to Vidarbha or statehood, Bakshi had to issue a press release late in the evening. In the press release, Bakshi categorically stated that the views on Vidarbha statehood or autonomy were of the stakeholders and expressed during consultations. “It is neither the view nor the recommendation of the committee,” he stated in the release.

Report available
on websites
Soon after tabling of the report of Kelkar Committee in both the Houses of State Legislature, the report was made available on two websites -- https://mahasdb.maharashtra.gov.in and www.maharashtra.gov.in for the people. 

(23-12-14)