Strengthening Panchayati Raj Institutions in Madhya Pradesh
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Identification of contact points and responsibility holders.
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Agreement on outputs, resources, and time-frames (action plans).
Objectives for Strategy 4.2 –
Map of data needs for capability development design and delivery, including training and other components.
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System design.
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Design of data sets.
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Data entry.
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System commission.
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System use.
9.8.3 Resources and Time-lines As is clear from the nature of Strategy 4.1 (collaboration), and the objectives/milestones to be reached, resources and time-lines emerge from the objectives being achieved and action plans being developed (jointly). The only strategic specification will be that such collaborations be initiated at the earliest, even as plans are being made to enter the next round of ‘sectoral’ and ‘skill’ training after completion of orientation training. For Strategy 4.2, resources will depend on the level of sophistication to be achieved and the specific implementation modalities chosen. Both are decisions to be taken by the state. Time-frames will also be related to both sophistication levels as well the human resources deployed; again, a matter of choice by the state. 9.9 Achieving Goal 5: Strategies for Developing local governance research and education programmes This is perhaps the only goal with a somewhat lesser urgency and a two year time-frame for this will be more feasible. Yet it is among the more important goals to be reached, for it underpins CD efforts both directly (for example, by developing competent human resources for the domain) as well as more broadly by creating awareness and an understanding of the need for and nature of local governance. It therefore requires attention, but the state should act as an ‘enabler’. Moreover, it must be appreciated that capability development institutions—typically, training institutions— are not the best places to house the range of research and education activities required. While training institutions are excellently placed for undertaking particular kind of knowledge development and shorterterm educational courses for in-service candidates, many of the research and education tasks are best located in institutions focussed on research and education. Further, the state should act as an ‘enabler’ in this respect rather than develop in-house facilities of any scale. In addition, the many aspects of design, content, location, and resource patterns are best assigned to academics and those who have the required expertise. Aspects like target groups and audience, demand and job-linkages, faculty expertise and knowledge material for input are key issues in this domain that need systematic exploration and addressing.
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