Analyzing Village Development Plans in Telangana
Gram panchayat (village governance unit) development plans (GPDPs) are one of the most important ways villages can focus on local priorities and carry out developmental activities according to their needs. In this article, I present my findings of the analysis of GPDPs in Telangana.
This dataset contains GPDPs planned in the year 2023-24 from all gram panchayats in the state of Telangana. The data was collected from the Egramswaraj website: https://gpdp.nic.in/planPlusReport.html. The analysis below explores the allocation of funds and development activities by sector. Additionally, it examines the various schemes from which these funds originate.
Here are some key figures:
- Number of Villages: 13,000
- Average Activity Cost: ₹52,800
- Average Money Allocated per Village: ₹35 lakh
- Average Number of Activities per Village: 67
These numbers give us an overview of the scale and scope of the development plans across the state.
The chart below illustrates the total cost of development plans by sector.
Approximately 30% of the funds are allocated to sanitation and 21% to drinking water. By tracking the sectoral allocation of funds, we can identify the priorities of gram panchayats in Telangana. In the future, comparing these allocations with those of other states can help determine if states that prioritize areas like drinking water experience improvements in water security.
We can also see the sources of the funds:
The allocation of financial resources to the panchayats can be categorized into three main groups: (1) the panchayats’ own sources of income, (2) funds that come from the state and central governments through devolution, tax assignments, grants-in-aid, and (3) funding from various Central schemes. The funds from state and central governments can be further divided into two categories: tied grants for specific purposes and untied grants for general purposes. The panchayats also generate “own sources” of revenue through taxes (such as property tax, water tax, and advertisement fees) and non-tax sources (like rents from markets, shops, and auction proceeds).
A significant portion of revenue transfers originates from both the central and state governments, following the guidelines set by the Union Finance Commission for basic and performance grants, and by the Union State Finance Commission for devolution, assignment, and grants-in-aid. The 15th Finance Commission, which allocates 38.8% of the funds for GPDPs in Telangana (according to plans), is responsible for distributing funds from the central government to the state governments. The state finance commissions are responsible for allocating funds to the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs).
The taxes from the central government that are given to states are unrestricted funds, allowing states to use them as they see fit. These tax devolutions have accounted for more than 80% of the total funds transferred from the central government to states. Additionally, the central government also provides grants to states and local bodies, which must be utilized for specific purposes. These grants have typically ranged from 12% to 19% of the total transfers.
More sources:
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00195561211052112
Coming Soon
I plan on expanding this dataset and analysis through:
- Exploring correlations. Does district wise spending correlate with rural population in each district?
- Collecting data from other states and exploring whether they are similar in terms of the schemes in which the funds come from and which sectors they’re most concentrated in. For example, do we see funds coming from the same places, at the same percentages, in another state like Uttar Pradesh?
Indian village governance is a significant area of study due to its crucial role in the country’s development. I hope this dataset, along with future datasets, will offer valuable insights to researchers and organizations working in this field.