BASP

Backward Area Sub Plan

OBJECTIVES

  • Reduce regional disparities
  • Evolve suitable policy for the development of Backward Areas
  • Decentralization of Planning process
  • Ensure people’s participation in Planning & decision making
  • Providing better coordination and integration of development programme
  • Effective mobilization of resources at district level
  • Reduce communication gap between people and the Government
  • More powers to people at local level
  • Evolving effective decision making system at District level

Criteria for declaring Panchayats as Backward

A set of socio-economic indicators are analyzed for determining the backwardness of a Panchayat. These indicators along with the weights assigned to them are as follows:

Sr. No. Indicator Weight
1 Remoteness & Inaccessibility 25
2 Demographic 35
3 Infrastructural 36
4 Agricultural 4
  Total 100

Any Panchayat scoring 60 or more than 60 points on an absolute basis based on the above weights assigned to various indicators becomes eligible for being declared as backward

Policy

  • In the year 1974-75 some areas in the nine districts of Himachal Pradesh were identified as backward and the criteria for determining backwardness of theses areas was the remoteness and inaccessibility. No specific budget provisions were made till the year 1978-79 when 10% of the total plan outlays was earmarked under Backward Area Sub Plan.
    Bases on the recommendations of various committees, a comprehensive policy for implementation of the Backward Area Sub Plan was formulated. Its main features are:
    • Earmarking of funds under Sub Plan raised to 15%
    • Backward Areas will comprise of three categoties:-
    • Backward Blocks
    • Contiguous Panchayats
    • Dispersed Panchayats
  • 15% Earmarking for fifteen (now thirteen) heads of development
  • Beneficiaries, incentive & Infrastructural Development oriented approaches introduced
  • A separate Demand for Grants No. 15 introduced from the year 2001-02.
  • Deputy Commissioners declared controlling officers
  • District Planning Officers as DDOs for capital heads under the sub plan
  • DPDC of the concerned district as formulating, monitoring and review agency at the district level
  • Funds allocated to districts in proportion of the total number of backward Panchayats in the district

DISTRICT-WISE NUMBER OF BACKWARD PANCHAYATS 

Sr. No. District Designated Backward Panchayats
1. Bilaspur 15
2. Chamba 159
3. Hamirpur 13
4. Kangra 17
5. Kullu 79
6. Mandi 149
7. Shimla 83
8. Sirmour 25
9. Solan 3
10. Una 3
  Total 546

Budget Authorization

Special Quarterly Budget Authorization Pattern has been introduced by the State Government for the sub plan due to the Difficult Conditions and Limited Working Season in Backward Areas. The quarterly budget authorization is as under:-

Quarter Budget Authorization ( % age of total Budget)
1 st 25
2 nd 40
3 rd 25
4 th 10
Total 100