Editor's Notes
| Published date | 01 April 1967 |
| Date | 01 April 1967 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1002/j.1099-162X.1967.tb00659.x |
Editor's Notes
It
cannot be repeated too often that the success
of
national development
plans depends on the administrative capacity available for their imple-
mentation. As Mr. Nigel Heseltine stresses in this issue, participation
of
the population is the key to development and the need to ensure that the
administrative structure is geared to regional development and productivity
is essential if development is to be a reality to the mass of the population.
Writing with the unusual and invaluable experience of recent development
planning both in france-phone Madagasgar and in angle-phone Zambia,
Mr.
Heseltine emphasises that only certain major projects can be completely
COntrolled
from the centre and that "over the whole field of development
the greater part must be controlled regionally". Leaders and planners in
many newly independent countries will find much of real value in this
cogently argued contribution.
Relevant to the theme of improving administration at local level are the
articles on local administration in the United Arab Republic, by Mr. Osman,
and on the Block Development Officer in India, by Mr. Ram Reddy.
In
each case it is interesting to note how a new system
of
local government,
modified to meet development needs, has incorporated community develop-
ment organisations. In Egypt after the Revolution, the rural social centres
and "combined units" moved from the ministry
of
social affairs to that
of
local administration and became the basis upon which to build up a new
StrUcture
of
local government under the Local Administration Law of 1960.
In India, followingindependence, there evolvedout of the former community
development movement, a new concept of local government, Panchayati Raj
Which
has since been introduced throughout the Union by a series
of
Panchayat
Acts passed by state governments.
Mr.
Osman explains the political inspiration for the changes now firmly
established in the U.A.R., and describes the new three-tier system
of
local
administration - its structure and functions, emphasising in conclusion how
the
Success
of a local government in the finalanalysis depends on the goodwill
of the people it is created to serve.
The
subject
of
Mr. Reddy's article is
the block development officer who has the all-important role
of
chief
executive to the Samiti which is the principal effective unit
of
Indian local
ｾｏｶ･ｮｵｮ･ｮｴＮ
A clear picture is provided
of
the difficulties this officer faces
tn the new world of democracy, and
of
the vital need to obtain, train and
retain the right man for the job;
if
dedicated long term service is to be ex-
Pected from him he must be afforded security, adequate status and perm-
ｾ･ｮ｣･
in return.
The
desperate need to increase agricultural productivity
in
India is a matter
of
world concern and Mr. Reddy draws urgent attention
to the priority need for state governments to equip their local authorities
id
ｳｾｾ
(headed by the B.D.O's) with adequate
ｲ･ｳｾｵｲ｣･ｳ
with which to
ｾ
theU'
lob - the most important, today surely the all-unportant one, being
e furtherance
of
agricultural production.
In
COntrast
to the entirely new structures in Egypt and India, but with the
73
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