The Local Self-Government department (LSGD) has stipulated that the percentage of external experts in local body-level planning committees should not exceed 15% of the total members. The department has also said that it would be suitable for local bodies to look for experts from within the local body to occupy the committee vice chairperson’s post rather than an external expert.
Earlier this year, the department had issued an order forbidding local bodies from appointing the close relatives of elected representatives in the planning committees, after a few such cases came to notice. The order was issued following the recommendations of the Local Self-Government Ombudsman in a case related to the involvement of a relative of an elected representative in the decision-making process of the planning committee at a panchayat in Malappuram last year.
The local body-level planning committee has a total of twelve members, including the president (a post held by the elected president of the local body), vice president (experts who can aid the local body in project planning), members (standing committee chairpersons as well as experts) and convenor (secretary of the local body).
The specifications for the vice president as well as members give the local bodies the leeway to include persons from outside, which was exploited in some cases by those in power to appoint close relatives. The planning committees were first introduced in 2017 with an aim to involve the local population in the planning process, implementation as well as monitoring of the projects taken up under the people’s plan.
