Planning For The Poor
Top Priority

By Laxmi Bahadur Vaidya

ECONOMIC development has become a major political issue in under developed countries like Nepal. It is defined as a rise in the levels of living of the general masses. It is well-accepted that state must be responsible in formulating and implementing the overall plan with strong determination for sustainable economic development.

Prime Aim

In modern days the desire to keep a high level of investment is one of the prime objectives of planning. The purpose of investment is to enhance consumption in future. In this process investment plays a prominent role. Without investment economic growth is not possible which is the main source of saving. A country needs a huge amount of savings so that it may augment the total amount of investment aimed at raising the productive power of the country. In a least developed country like Nepal voluntary domestic savings are always insufficient to achieve rapid economic progress.

To speed up economic development a compulsory rise in the share of the antional income is indispensable. It should be drawn out from consumption and devoted to investment.

In planning, availability of the physical resources also is very essentital to carry out investment projects successfully. It must not be planned beyond the limits of the resources which are available in the country. In our country many projects are started but most of them are unfinished due to insufficient resources.

In a poverty-ridden country investment is a serious problem. Lack of saving is the root cause behind the low investment. Saving can be generated through income.

So the government should take measures to apply new technology and improved productive methods with management of resources in various sectors of the economy so that productivity may be augmented substantially. Increase of products will increase both output and profits. Only then entrepreneurs will be able to save more and invested more in productive activities.

In under-developed countries the government has to play a prominent role in shaping economic activity in preliminary stage of economic development. Only in such countries the government is capable in combating many hurdles to economic development, determining the proportions of the capital, mobilising the resources efficiently and allocating in different directions thereby paving the way for economic development.

While formulating a plan the government has to decide its objectives in different sectors such as defence, education and training, health and drinking water, conservation of natural resources, transport, communication, power, irrigation and so on. Besides, the government has to provide a vast network of public services as well as ordinary legislation which are the prime needs of the people.

The fundamental problem in our country is a backward agricultural system. The main features of backwardness are lack of scientific knowledge, poor equipment, insufficient marketing, insecure land tenure system, and uneconomically small farming unit as well as over population. Land reform has its special importance in national planning. An agrarian revolution in therefore essentia in the country. Other provisions of improvement also should be involved such as cooperative sociaties and agricultural extension service and so on. In raising the productivity of the people reforms in the field of health and education are also equally needed.

In respect to our country an agrarian revolution is not sufficient without industrial development so that new employment opportunities can be provided outside agriculture to reduce disguised unemployment which is one of the major problems in the country. Agriculture and industry must be developed simultaneously to absorb the labour released from land. Therefore in our national plan agricultural development projects are a must for country’s industrialisation.

Family planning also must be included in our plan so that the population reproduction rate may be reduced within a stipulated time frame because a rapid increase in the population reduces the living standard of the people.

In a least developed country like Nepal the government has to perform many other functions which are allocated for private sector in developed countries.

To do all the works of planning a strong, competent and corrupt in free administration is very essential. In the absence of such an administration the planning works cannot be enforced in an effective and efficient manner. In our country the political and administrative apparatuses seen to be weak, instable, incompetent and corrupt. At the same time, the population is largely illiterate. That is why the first objective of the government must be in reforming the incompetent and inefficient administration to proceed successfully with planning works.

If practical planning is to be pursued in a long-term basic the basic statistical information of the entire economy of the country is the urgent need. It must be adequate, precise and reliable as well as up-to-date. In our country such statistics are not available. It is one of the major defects of the national planning.

The plannign is not only a general scheme with a list of targets, it is also a strategy for action that is taken to achieve these targets.

Planning must be flexible in foreseeing where the major problems are likely to arise and then it may act consistently to solve those problems for the acceleration of nation’s development efforts.

In order to avoid the primary defects of economic planning and to correct it on time, periodic review and evaluation of progress achieved in different stages of work are imperative.

In development planning decentralisation plays an eminent role to execute development activities effectively and efficiently by delegating more powers and responsibilities to the local bodies and other concerned authorities.

For this, people’s participation is equally needed at all levels. Many development projects that did not take into account the human resources available in the country will bound to fail due to lack of public support.

Man is the centre of development both as the means and end. The fact that under the democratic system the motto of development should be ‘by the people, for the people and of the people’.

Basic Needs

Therefore the topmost priority of the national planning must be to fulfill the basic needs of the poor people through decentralisation and by equitable distribution of available resources to achieve that end.

Random Urbanisation, Polluted Cities

By Netra Subedi

WITH the process of rapid urbanisation, it is estimated that more than 50 persent population of the world will be living in the urban areas within a decade. This will cause extreme pressure on the city life. Since cities are the centres of industrial and commercial activities and national political activities. Urbanisation is considered the symbol of high income, better life, high literacy rate and civilised lifestyle. It is a matter of fact that people can get more opportunities in cities than in villages.

As a large part of national income remains in the cities, many people want to settle in the cities. However, we lack definite plans and programmes in the process of urbanisation. Therefore, urbanisation has not only good aspects but also bad ones. Lack of clean drinking water, increasing pollution, over crowded high ways and unplanned, town are the common features of our cities. Most of the municipalities in Nepal don't have proper infrastructure and facilities, they are just officially designated as municipalities.

The Capital is very much important from tourism point of view. But due to the rapid population increase and lack of proper town planning it is becoming more cngested and polluted. The life of the people in the Capital is getting difficult. Three if they cultural heritages listed in the World Heritages are likely to be out from the list if they are not maintained. Kathmandu Valley looks like an open museum. But it is lacking in originality due to random urbanisation and industrialisation process in the city. It is not significant to develop new structures in the Kathmandu Valley but to protect the present cultural, historical, archaeological and religions structure is of paramount significance.

Kathmandu also lacks efficient facilties of proper roads, electricity, drainage, sanitation and drinking water. The condition of roads is really miserable. The denisens throw garbage wherever they like. Damaged water pipes and waterless taps are seen everywhere. Dumping sites have very often been a matter of dispute in the Kathmandu Valley. KMC alone can't solve all these problems. Private sector also should be incouraged to involve in the process of urbanisation and urban development and management. Participation and co-operation of central government, local bodies, private sector and local people can bring in the intended results.

The municipality should develop its own policies, rules and regulation to control the practice of haphazard settlement. But it is not an easy process because urbanisation is very fast and staggering process. Many unwanted incidents take place within a very short period of time. Such changes create innumerable problems in the process of urban development.

Since urbanisation is a globalised phenomenon, it can have some homogeneties in all of the countries. Even then there are some heterogeneties in the process of unbanisation from one country to another. It would certainly be unwise to suppose that any system for example political system appropriate and suitable country will be applicable and successful in other countries. That is to say, urbanisation is unique as regards the concerned social and economic conditions of the lites. The geographical infrastructure and material facilities of one geographical area are very much different from that of another.

It is advisable that plans and programmes of our cities should encourage preserving the local socio-cultural institutions and minimise the economic disparities. The problems of sewerage, drinking water, electricity and communication should be solved on priority basis. People's participation in development works should be encouraged. There should be definite interconnection and co-ordination between governmental and municipalities.