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If we can select suitable people at Panchayat level and
train them to learn basic planning skills,
they may ultimately become competent planners at the grass root level.
It is expected that since they are acquainted with their localities and
understand the local needs, the plans prepared by them will be more realistic.
Of course, we need to allow a reasonable time
so that they pick up the skills successfully.
Until that happens, the administration has to run the show and
give special attention to the performance of
the authorities who are entrusted with the delivery of the services.
For example, proper watch should be kept on
the services delivered to Health, Education and Nutrition.
If we want to deliver primary education to the children,
we have to ensure that there is at least a school building;
there are adequate no. of teachers in proportion to the no. of students and
the teachers are adopting proper means of teaching and
monitor these on a regular basis.
A mere setting up of a school does not necessarily mean that
education is being delivered.
Information Technology (IT) can take an important role in delivering such services.
There are many cases where IT has helped immensely to do so.
Let us look at an example
how IT can do it in case of activities of an Anganwadi center related to child nutrition.
We are looking at the state of Chhattisgarh.
One of its districts is Bilaspur and Mungeli is a block in that district.
Let’s look at this block, Mungeli.
We are seeing all the villages in the block and
the Anganwadi centers in those villages.
Every month lot of data related to the delivery of services
are received at these centers.
If we ask in which of the centers
the number of severely malnourished children are more than 2%,
the system will mark those centers which answers this criteria.
If we now change the criteria from 2% to 5%,
the system displays a new set of centers.
Similarly results can be seen for 10% and 20% of the same criteria.
Whereas even a 1% criterion indicates an alarming situation,
10% or 20% should surely create big concern to the administration.
Therefore we can see that using the power of IT,
it is possible to look at the situation at the lowest level.
Even it is possible to pinpoint a particular child who is severely malnourished
so that the administration can quickly take suitable corrective action.
In Mungeli block, it has been possible to arrange for
jobs under the “100-day work scheme”
after identifying the parents of such mal-nourished children.
This initiative, however, does not apply only to Mungeli block,
but all the blocks in Chhattisgarh.
When we have achieved such success in one state of our country,
why can’t we do so in others too?
What we need is only a strong will and an honest and dedicated effort.
An adequate infrastructure together with a motivated band of people,
who are willing to do this job and
a continuous monitoring of whether these two are efficiently combined together,
is the key to solve the burning problem.