Nitin Desai: People power for development

The severe drought that has hit many parts of India has reminded us about the vulnerability of rural areas to environmental stress. For over 50 years now we have had a variety of programmes which have sought to address land, water and forest management in rural areas. Yet the results are far from adequate. Most of the well funded flagship schemes in this area have been designed and promoted by the central government with the responsibility for implementation resting with the states, and more recently direct devolution of resources to panchayats. What is still missing is planning capabilities at the local level and effective mobilisation of local people.
A recent field visit to some villages supported by the Foundation for Ecological Security, an NGO that works on livelihood-centred eco-conservation protection and management of common lands, brought home the importance of involving local people right from the planning stage. (Disclosure: I am a member of the governing board of this NGO.)
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