4.6 Participatory Planning and Development

Participatory Planning and Development in Nepal

Concept of Participatory Planning

Participatory planning is a process that involves all relevant stakeholders and citizens throughout the planning stages. It ensures that the target groups affected by the plan are included in its formulation, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and equitable distribution of benefits. This approach engages consumers, elected representatives, experts, pressure groups, community organizations, and development partners in a supportive and collaborative manner.

It is a democratic process that empowers beneficiaries to identify needs, manage development activities, and ensure equitable access to benefits.

Need, Importance, Benefits, and Characteristics

• Promotes democratization of development activities.
• Establishes legitimacy and legality of development initiatives.
• Formulates demand-driven and need-based development programs.
• Fosters ownership, making development effective, sustainable, and cost-efficient.
• Ensures a proactive, goal-oriented, and continuous process for result-oriented outcomes.
• Enhances citizen support, commitment, and ownership in development.
• Promotes economic, physical, and moral support from communities and citizens.
• Makes development processes transparent and citizen-friendly.
• Creates an enabling environment for development activities.
• Builds mutual trust between government and citizens.
• Encourages grassroots-level public mobilization and leadership development.
• Ensures equitable distribution of development benefits.
• Facilitates collective resolution of development-related challenges.
• Maximizes utilization of local resources, skills, and capabilities.
• Promotes social commitment, responsibility, and accountability.
• Represents voices of minorities, marginalized groups, and communities outside the mainstream.
• Aligns contemporary issues, needs, and resource availability.
• Strengthens social cooperation and relationships.

Impacts of Participatory Development

• Identifies needs as perceived by citizens.
• Enhances public awareness and capacity.
• Empowers marginalized communities.
• Promotes political commitment and support.
• Fosters a culture of accountability at the local level.
• Increases effectiveness, sustainability, and cost-efficiency of development.

Weaknesses of Participatory Planning

• Time-Consuming: Involving diverse communities and ideologies can delay decision-making.
• Knowledge/Skill Requirements: Lack of relevant knowledge, skills, past experiences, data, or understanding of community diversity, culture, and politics can hinder planning.
• Risk of Wrong Participants: Inappropriate participants may disrupt the entire process.
• Need for Patience and Commitment: The process requires sustained patience and dedication from all stakeholders.

Levels/Methods of Participatory Planning

The planning process is shaped by time, resources, societal needs, and participants’ experience and knowledge. The levels include:

• Information Sharing: Exchanging facts, data, and information related to planning.
• Consultation: Discussing options and gathering feedback.
• Collective Decision-Making: Proposing solutions and selecting the best option collaboratively.
• Collective Action: Actively participating in implementing decisions.
• Supporting Community Initiatives: Providing guidance and support for independent community actions, resource utilization, and contribution methods.

Role of Civil Society in Participatory Planning

• Connects communities with government and other stakeholders.
• Provides information on economic, social, and legal issues.
• Promotes participation.
• Engages in decision-making processes.
• Identifies community needs, proposes alternatives, and provides feedback on implementation and monitoring.
• Monitors development activities, resource mobilization, and implementation.
• Acts as a mediator to foster positive relationships among government, development partners, and communities.
• Conducts campaigns to make participation meaningful.
• Ensures effective citizen mobilization in development activities.
• Promotes efficient resource mobilization, financial discipline, and public accountability.
• Prioritizes participation of poor, vulnerable, marginalized, and disadvantaged groups.
• Supports sustainable, inclusive, and environmentally friendly development.

Challenges of Participatory Planning

• Time and Cost: Participatory planning is resource-intensive, requiring preparation, skilled manpower, and specialized expertise. Engaging all stakeholders takes time.
• Obstacles and Influence: Resistance or opposition from individuals or groups, conflicts between officials and experts, or attempts to influence the process can pose challenges.
• Neglect of Existing Processes: Ignoring established planning processes or failing to coordinate effectively can lead to conflicts.
• Planning Model: A one-size-fits-all approach may fail if not tailored to time, context, society, and resources.
• Reluctance to Participate: Low awareness, weak public administration, and lengthy bureaucratic processes discourage public participation.

Measures to Enhance Participatory Planning

• Early Involvement of Decision-Makers: Engaging stakeholders from the start fosters ownership, accountability, and appreciation for participatory processes.
• Micro-Macro Linkage: Align national and large-scale plans with local plans, objectives, and long-term policies.
• Special Support for Marginalized Groups: Include programs for the upliftment of poor, vulnerable, and marginalized communities.
• Respect for All Voices: Value diverse perspectives equally to ensure inclusivity.
• Continuous Coordination: Maintain ongoing communication with communities, building on past best practices.
• Training and Capacity Building: Provide continuous training and orientation programs.
• Optimal Resource Utilization: Maximize the use of local resources.
• Effective Civil Society Mobilization: Engage local civil society effectively.
• Collaboration Beyond Construction: Involve communities in project reconstruction and maintenance.

Efforts Toward Participatory Planning in Nepal

Participatory practices have existed since ancient times in Nepal, evident in community contributions to roads, bridges, temples, irrigation canals, and rest houses. Formal efforts include:

• Since the 1970s, donor agencies mandated participation as a condition for aid.
• Post-2007 BS (1950 CE), initiatives like Integrated Rural Development Programs, "Back to Village" campaigns, and "Build Your Village Yourself" promoted participation.
• Since 2013 BS (1956 CE), planned development incorporated participation through discussions, interactions, and expert consultations.
• During the Panchayat era, directed programs limited public access to policy-making and management.
• Top-down approaches dominated initially.
• Community-based groups like forest user groups, construction committees, and school/hospital management committees were formed.
• Participation was mandated in plan, budget, and program formulation.
• Local governments were empowered to formulate and implement plans based on local priorities, utilizing executive, legislative, and judicial powers.

Local-Level Budget and Plan Formulation Process

1. Pre-Budget Preparation:
   • Submit revenue-expenditure projections to the federal government.
   • Receive budget ceilings from federal and provincial governments.
   • Identify sectoral areas: economic development, social development, infrastructure, environment and disaster management, governance, and institutional development.
2. Resource Estimation and Budget Ceiling Determination: Assess available resources and set budget limits.
3. Settlement-Level Plan Selection: Identify plans at the community level.
4. Ward-Level Plan Selection and Prioritization: Prioritize plans at the ward level.
5. Budget and Program Formulation: Develop budgets and programs.
6. Approval by Village/Municipal Executive: Approve budgets and programs.
7. Approval by Village/Municipal Assembly: Final approval of budgets and programs.
8. Plan Implementation and Monitoring: Execute and monitor plans.

Conclusion

Participatory planning and development ensure that development is demand-driven, sustainable, and inclusive. Beyond accelerating development, it fosters lasting peace by addressing resource scarcity through public contributions, resolving potential conflicts, and promoting equitable resource distribution and good governance. Nepal’s Constitution emphasizes participatory development in its guiding principles, yet meaningful participation across all sectors remains a challenge. Active engagement from stakeholders at all levels—federal, provincial, and local—is essential to ensure effective participation.