The Gazetteers Department

In their First Five-Year Plan (1951—56), the Planning Commission of the Government of India proposed organisation of "Community Development Projects" and "National Extension Service"to initiate a process of improvement of social and economic life in the villages. These are being implemented by the Union and the State Governments. The principal aim is to mobilise local dormant man-power for a concerted and co-ordinated effort at raising the level of rural life as a whole. Both the "National Extension Service" and the "Community Development" programme envisage development in the fields of agriculture, animal husbandry, public health, social education, co-operation, communications, etc., in selected areas. In the areas of community Development Project blocks, constructional programme is more intensive than in the National Extension Service areas. In the latter, the main objective is to bring about administrative re-organisation.

Plan.

Each block, whether of the Community Development Project or National Extension Service category, covered a population of 66,000 approximately. The budget provided for a Community Development block was 15 lakhs of rupees for a period of three years while the cost of a National Extension Service block was only 7� lakhs of rupees, and approximately half the number of these blocks were, on the basis of their performance, to be converted into Community Development blocks. For the first three years the State Government received substantial financial help from the Central Government. After the first three years the financial liability for maintaining the development achieved in the selected area devolves mainly upon the State Governments.

Administrative Machinery.

Special administrative machinery has been set up at the head- quarters of the State Governments and at lower levels to avoid delay in departmental routine. In the Maharashtra State the Development Commissioner, who is also the Secretary to Government, Co-operation and Rural Development Department, has been made responsible for the control and supervision of the programme. The Development Commissioner is assisted by an Additional Development Commissioner. A committee known as the State Development Committee, consisting of the Chief Minister (as Chairman) and Ministers in charge of Finance, Buildings and Communications, Revenue, Agriculture, Forests and Cooperation, has also been set up. The Chief Secretary and Secretaries to Finance, Revenue, Agriculture and Buildings and Communications Departments are also members of this committee. The functions of the State Committee are to lay down broad policies and provide general supervision in respect of the implementation of the programme.

In the case of a Community Development block, the Prant Officer (Deputy Collector), in whose charge the block area falls, has been appointed ex-officio Project Officer for the development block. This arrangement not only avoids duplication of agencies but also ensures rapid development and economy in expenditure. The Project Officer, by virtue of his position as a Revenue Officer, is in a position to exert considerable healthy influence upon the villagers in their endeavour for social and economic development.

At the district and taluka levels, committees known as District Community Development/National Extension Service Advisory Committee and Taluka Community Development/National Extension Service Advisory Committee have been set up to look after and tender advice in connection with the working of the programme. The committees consist of both officials connected with the programme as also non-officials. To aid and advise the Prant-cum-Project Officers in the task of all-round development, subject-matter specialists like Agricultural Officers, Assistant District Co-operative Officers, Social Educational Organisers, Deputy Engineers, Overseers, etc., have been appointed. Considerable delegation of powers has been made to Collectors, Prant-cum-Project Officers, etc., by way of decentralisation of powers, which necessarily avoids departmental routine and delay in the execution of the programme.

Gram Sevaks.

The lowest but the most important link in the chain of the administrative machinery devised for this development programme is the Gram Sevak who works in close contact with the villagers. A new cadre of Gram Sevak (village level workers) has been formed by pooling the existing personnel of the Revenue, Co-operative and Agricultural Departments, working at the level of group of villages in the block area. On appointment these Gram Sevaks perform revenue as well as extension duties. They are Circle Inspectors, Agricultural Assistants and Co-operative Supervisors, all in one. The talathis in charge of villages are designated as Assistant Gram Sevaks. The functions which the village level worker has to perform are of very great importance. He has to understand rural problems and the psychology of the former and offer solutions to his various difficulties. He has to try and find out the felt needs of the people and the solutions that he offers have to be demonstrated by working in close co-operation with the farmers. His success depends on the extent to which he gains the confidence of the farmers.

The various administrative departments and heads of departments have been directed to assign very high priority to matters relating to project works. In the district, the Collector, as the Chairman of the Advisory Committee, is also expected to bring about proper co-ordination in the work of the various development departments functioning in the project area.

Association of People.

The aim of the programme is community development and it can only take place when people themselves evince a keen interest in the programme. To this end people are sought to be associated as much as is possible with the planning of development schemes and their execution. While schemes involving large expenditure and requiring a high degree of technical skill are to he executed departmentally, other schemes are to be executed with as much co-operation as is possible from local agencies such as the District Local Board, Village Panchayat, etc., or, in the last resort, by ad hoc committees formed of representatives of the village.

Public Contributions.

To ensure people's participation in the development programme it has been laid down that various schemes or works are to be taken up on the basis of public contribution. The Collectors and Project Officers approve schemes only when minimum popular contributions are forthcoming. There is no limit to the maximum popular contribution which can even be cent per cent. The scales of minimum popular contributions vary according to the nature of the schemes. Contributions may be in cash or labour or materials. For schemes of irrigation the minimum contribution fixed is 33 per cent; for drinking-water wells 25 per cent; for roads 33 per cent; for school buildings 33 per cent; for dispensaries or hospitals 25 per cent, of capital cost and for community recreation centres and library buildings 50 per cent of capital cost.

For certain reasons, mainly administrative, it was not considered desirable to have separate and scattered units covering a population of 66,000 persons each and to style such units as National Extension Service blocks. It was considered that National Extension block should be made co-extensive with the limits of talukas and that such talukas, depending on their population, he considered as comprising one or more blocks for purposes of financial allotment.

Work in the District.

In Jalgaon district, the National Extension Service scheme was first introduced in 1953 in Edlabad peta. In 1954, Bhusawal taluka was brought under the National Extension Service programme. Subsequently Chalisgaon, Chopda, and Jamner talukas and Bhad-gaon peta were brought under the National Extension Service programme on 1-5-56, 1-4-57, 2-10-57 and 1-4-58 respectively. All these four blocks have now been converted into Stage I blocks under the New Pattern. Bhusawal is still a Community Development block while Edlabad block entered the Stage II on 1-4-59. Budget provided tor a Stage I block is Rs. 12 lakhs for five years while that for a Stage II block is Rs. 5 lakhs for the same period.

Regarding the administrative set-up each block has an independent Block Development Officer. Mamlatdar ceases to he the ex-officio Development Officer. The Prant Officer is the Chairman of the Block Development Committee and has to supervise the development activities under the programme. The Collector is expected to take personal interest in the implementation of the schemes and is assisted by the District Project Officer, who is of the grade of Deputy Collector.

To train the personnel required for execution of the Development Programme an Extension Training Centre has been opened at Jalgaon. The centre is in charge of a Principal who is a Class I Officer in the Maharashtra Agricultural Service.

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