ASPBAE Leadership 2010

1. ASPBAE Leadership 2010

2. The first photograph is of a group of women who are preparing the developmental plan for their village. The second photograph show District Planning Committee (DPC) members sharing their experiences on decentralised district planning during a state level workshop in Bihar. The photographs reflects how the citizens and institutions became vibrant through collective efforts at bringing changes. These photographs are part of an initiative which PRIA took in Madhubani district of Bihar for Strengthening the District Planning Committee (DPC) to anchor the process of preparation of Integrated District Plan. Integrated distinct planning is a challenging task for DPC, because of: Deficit in Individual (PRI representatives and functionaries) and Institutional (DPC, line departments) willingness and capacities. Lack of coordination among different tiers of local government and between line departments. Citizens not motivated to be a part of the process. I led PRIA team in providing handholding support to different stakeholders through meetings, orientation and capacity building workshops. IEC material was used to inform the stakeholders about the processes, their rights as well as their roles and responsibilities. In addition, hands on training was also given to the stakeholders to take up micro level planning. The process has brought following significant changes in relation to above challenges: Citizens in villages and towns of Madhubani became quite excited and enthusiastic about becoming a part of the process for preparation of plan for their development. Participation rate in Gram sabhas has increased significantly. Village Panchayats, Block Panchayats and Municipality came on a common platform to undertake projects jointly for the welfare of the people. DPC become so much active that members met formally as well as informally to share their views on preparation of district plan. DPC Chairperson and members also became confident to participate and share their experiences at various forums. I am presently working as a Sr. Programme Officer in PRIA PRIA is an International Centre for Learning and Promotion of Participation and Democratic Governance. PRIA has embarked on a set of key initiatives focusing on participatory research, citizen-centric development, capacity building, knowledge building and policy advocacy through its partners at local, national and global level. My responsibilities in PRIA involve providing support for the capacity development trainings, extending handholding support to Institutions of Local Self Governance (ILSG) and facilitating the process of Integrated District Planning. I strongly feel that the BLDC 2010 will provide me new perspectives and understanding on adult learning that would help me to grow both as a person as well as a professional. It would help me in contributing to my organisations work in a more focused and refined manner. I feel very proud of being a part ASPBAE’s network. Anshuman Karolanshuman@pria.org ASPBAE Leadership 2010