Understanding Local Self Governance in Nagaland

October 10, 2017 26883 Views No Comment

The department of Rural Development provides all funds to the Village Development Board on the basis of households of every village through allocation of funds of all state and centrally sponsored programmes that are being implemented for rural development and poverty alleviation of rural poor. The Village Development Boards select schemes through the General Body Village meeting and submit the same to the Block Development Officer. The BDOs compile the block level shelf of schemes, prepare the technical estimates of the selected schemes and submits the same to the Project Director. Technically, the Project Directors with approval the CEO, DRDA & Chairmans of VDBs compile the schemes of all the VDBs in the district and table the same for deliberation in the District Planning & Development Board meeting. Approved schemes are intimated to the VDBs by the BDO and work order issued and funds released accordingly. The schemes are implemented by the VDB through the Block and District Rural Development Agencies (DRDA). In order to ensure equal opportunities and to promote involvement of women and youth, 25% and 15% of the total funds available to the VDB are respectively reserved for them. All separate fund-flow and utilization is mandatorily monitored and audited by an independent committee appointed by the Village Council.

Box VII: Example of Village Development Board in community development

Chuchuyimpang, February 16, 2011 (MExN): Located hardly five kilometers away from Mokokchung town, the villagers of Chuchuyimpang has taken on a ground-breaking task of developing the village – wider roads. However, wider roads for the Chuchuyimpang villagers do not mean a two lane-road in the village but a whopping thirty-one feet wide road, in other words, a four lane road. The task has been started under the active initiative of the Village Development Board (VDB) under the full support of the Village Council Chuchuyimpang, and almost sixty percent of the works is completed.

One interesting fact about the widening of the village at Chuchuyimpang is worth taking into account– there is no issue of land dispute or claims of land compensation. Residents of the village willingly pushed their houses and fences back land so that the road can be widened. The roads were actually fifteen feet wide, however the Village Council Chuchuyimpang

15IAY, GIA, MCG, SGSY, NREGS, BRGF & PMF (see abbreviations)