Maarg Manthan · Topic 23.9

District Planning Committee (Article 243ZD)

Indian Polity › Local Government: Panchayats and Municipalities · Topic 23.9

The District Planning Committee under Article 243ZD consolidates the plans of panchayats and municipalities into a draft district plan; four-fifths of its members are elected by their members in proportion to the rural-urban ratio.

5 min read · UPSC Prelims · Polity · Local Government: Panchayats and Municipalities

At a Glance

What it is A committee to consolidate plans of panchayats and municipalities in a district
Article Article 243ZD
Elected members Four-fifths, by panchayat and municipal members
Output A draft development plan for the district
Exam link UPSC Prelims, Polity: Local Government: Panchayats and Municipalities

Where Does It Fit?

This is the ninth topic of the category on Local Government. Rural and urban bodies in a district plan separately. The 74th Amendment adds a District Planning Committee in every state to join these plans into one draft district plan.

What Article 243ZD Provides

Every state shall constitute at the district level a district planning committee to consolidate the plans prepared by the panchayats and municipalities in the district and to prepare a draft development plan for the district as a whole. The state legislature may make provisions on the composition of such committees, the manner of election of members, the functions of the committee in relation to district planning and the manner of election of the chairpersons. Constituting the committee is a requirement placed on every state by the 74th Amendment, though the Article was made inapplicable to the National Capital Territory of Delhi by a presidential direction in 2001.

Composition

The Act lays down that four-fifths of the members of a district planning committee should be elected by the elected members of the district panchayat and the municipalities in the district from among themselves. The representation of these members in the committee should be in proportion to the ratio between the rural and urban populations of the district. The remaining members and the chairperson are as the state law provides.

How the Plan Is Prepared

In preparing the draft development plan, a district planning committee shall have regard to matters of common interest between the panchayats and municipalities, including spatial planning, sharing of water and other physical and natural resources, the integrated development of infrastructure and environmental conservation, and the extent and type of available resources, financial or otherwise. The committee shall also consult such institutions and organisations as the Governor may specify. The chairperson of the District Planning Committee forwards the development plan to the state government. The committee is thus the link between local plans and the state planning machinery, and its draft is meant to reflect the needs of the rural and urban parts of the district together.

Step	What happens
1	Panchayats and municipalities prepare their plans
2	The District Planning Committee consolidates them
3	It considers common interests: spatial planning, water, infrastructure, environment, and resources
4	It consults institutions specified by the Governor
5	Its chairperson sends the draft plan to the state government

Committees on Planning Below the State

Committee	Year	View on planning
Dantwala Committee (block-level planning)	1978	Basic decentralised planning at the block level
Hanumantha Rao Committee (district planning)	1984	Separate district planning bodies under the Collector or a minister; Collector as coordinator
G.V.K. Rao Committee	1985	District as the proper unit; Zila Parishad as principal body; District Development Commissioner
Thungon Committee	1988	Zila Parishad as planning and development agency; state-level planning and coordination committee

Earlier Thinking on District Planning

The idea of the district as the unit of planning was developed by several committees. The Dantwala Committee (1978) on block-level planning and the Hanumantha Rao Committee (1984) on district planning suggested separate planning bodies at the district level under the Collector or a minister; the G.V.K. Rao Committee (1985) held that the district is the proper unit for planning and development and the Zila Parishad should be the principal body for management of development programmes, while the Thungon Committee (1988) also wanted the Zila Parishad as the planning and development agency. The Hanumantha Rao Committee differed in giving the Collector a significant role as coordinator, in contrast to the others which wanted a major role for Panchayati Raj. The Act of 1992 resolved this by creating a district planning committee elected by local bodies, so that planning is brought under elected local representatives.

Why Is This Topic Important?

Four-fifths rule Standard Prelims question
Link with 243ZE Compare with Metropolitan Planning Committee
Planning Decentralised planning

What Came Next?

The next topic covers the Metropolitan Planning Committee under Article 243ZE.

Key People and Terms

District Planning Committee Consolidates local plans
Spatial planning Planning the use of space
Draft development plan Proposed plan for a district
Rural-urban ratio Basis of representation
Article 243ZD District planning

Exam Corner

Points to Remember

Article 243ZD; four-fifths elected by local bodies.
Representation by rural-urban ratio.
Chairperson forwards plan to the state government.
Not applicable to Delhi (2001 order).

Do Not Confuse With

District and Metropolitan Planning Committees Four-fifths versus two-thirds
Planning committee and Zila Parishad Consolidating body versus rural tier
Plan by committee and by state government Committee drafts; state receives

Memory Hook

Four-fifths from local bodies, shared by rural-urban ratio, one draft plan for the district.

Mains Angle

Questions on this topic usually ask about decentralised planning. Use these points to add depth.

Bottom-up planning Consolidating local plans
Integration Rural and urban
Earlier committees Collector versus Panchayati Raj
Common interests Spatial, water, environment

A Question You May Face

An original practice question, not a past paper question.

“Explain the role of the District Planning Committee in decentralised planning.”

How to Answer

Introduction Article 243ZD.
Composition Four-fifths.
Function Draft plan.
Conclusion Bottom-up planning.

GS Relevance

Prelims: Indian Polity, local government. GS Paper 2: Decentralised planning.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the District Planning Committee?

It is a committee that every state must constitute at the district level under Article 243ZD to consolidate the plans prepared by panchayats and municipalities and prepare a draft development plan for the district as a whole.

How are members of the District Planning Committee chosen?

Four-fifths of the members are elected by the elected members of the district panchayat and municipalities in the district from among themselves, in proportion to the ratio between the rural and urban populations of the district.

What must the committee consider in making the plan?

The committee must consider matters of common interest to panchayats and municipalities, such as spatial planning, sharing of water and natural resources, integrated infrastructure and environmental conservation, and the extent and type of available resources.

Who receives the District Planning Committee’s plan?

The chairperson of the District Planning Committee forwards the draft development plan to the state government. The committee also consults such institutions and organisations as the Governor may specify. The Governor may also specify bodies for consultation, and the plan covers both rural and urban parts of the district.

Does Article 243ZD apply to Delhi?

No. In 2001, the President directed that Articles 243ZD and 243ZE do not apply to the National Capital Territory of Delhi, using the power to modify the application of Part IX-A to Union territories. The direction was issued under the Act’s provision for Union territories.

PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis

1 Four-fifths of members of the District Planning Committee are elected.

True

By local body members.

2 The District Planning Committee draws up plans only for urban areas.

False

For the whole district.

3 Article 243ZD is about the Metropolitan Planning Committee.