New dist plan to focus on sustainability, governance

Kochi: The district planning committee has decided to develop a comprehensive district plan for Ernakulam for the financial year 2025-26. As per the plan, the focus would be on environment and climate change, special development programmes, governance and e-governance, employment generation, sustainable development, and urbanization. Additionally, the focus will be on enhancing equitable resource distribution, as well as improving both the production and service sectors.
During a meeting held on Monday evening, the committee stressed the importance of implementing sustainable and integrated development projects by utilizing available resources from various departments, agencies, and local bodies.District panchayat president Manoj Muthedan said that around 30 projects included in the district plan will be executed by local, block, and district panchayats.
"The district planning committee decides which projects are to be implemented through the district plan, and local bodies are responsible for including these projects in their plan fund proposals, which are approved in March. The draft district plan will be ready by Dec," Muthedan stated.
However, he highlighted the current challenge of fund shortages. "For example, the plan to establish animal birth control centers in Ernakulam, a key project from the last district plan, was delayed due to the state's financial crisis," Muthedan said, and pointed out the need to prevent future delays in project implementation caused by funding issues.
An official with the district planning committee (DPC) said that the primary goal of the district plan is to address gaps in areas where public support is most needed.
During the 13th Five-Year Plan period, a district plan was prepared for Ernakulam under the leadership of the district planning committee but the new district plan would reflect the changes in the district's development perspectives in the wake of the floods in 2018 and 2019 and the pandemic in 2020, as suggested at the meeting.
The new plan will be based on two core components: the district development context and an analysis of central and state-sponsored schemes, local govt plans, and recommendations for future improvements. The projects in the district plan are envisioned by the DPC.
The approach to formulating the district plan incorporates multiple perspectives. This includes a review of central and state government schemes, guidelines for enhancing project implementation, and top-level recommendations for government action. It also covers bottom-level suggestions for implementation by local governments, a review of the Thirteenth Five-Year Plan, an assessment of the first three years of the Fourteenth Five-Year Plan, strategies for improving local planning, opportunities for coordination and integration, and an overall project summary.