Even the well-educated layman let alone an ordinary citizen in India does not know the planning process in all its complexities. The concept of multilevel planning is understood even less. A book that describes the process, the way it has evolved over the years, its future directions, the meaning, the need and the possibilities of multi-level planning is to be welcomed as a part of Plan education. This is a frankly ‘descriptive-analytical account’ of the Plan process in India, with the multi-level aspect of it explained and elaborated. It also includes two case studies of regional planning, one relating to the traditionally drought prone region of Rayalseema consisting of four districts and two talukas of Andhra Pradesh, and the formulation of a Plan for the district of Hyderabad. The planning process was initiated when the country had already given to itself a federal democratic Constitution. Through the successive plans, growth and socio-economic justice have been the principal objectives.
July-August 1979, volume 4, No 1