RESPONSIBILITY MAPPING OF EACH TIER OF LSGIS IN RESPECT OF MANDATORY AND GENERAL FUNCTIONS DEVOLVED

Funding Agency: Decentralization Support Programme, Department of Local Self Government, Kerala

The overlaps in the functional domain of State Government and Local Self Governments (LSGs) and among different tiers of LSGs particularly in sectors like agriculture and allied sectors have resulted in higher tiers of LSGs performing functions which ought to have been performed by the lower tier. To identify the overlap of functional areas, clear cut demarcation of functional domain of each tier of Panchayats and State Government is required. There is clarity regarding the functions and responsibilities in infrastructure sector and the activities regarding the service sector is more or less clear. But there is little clarity regarding the functions and responsibilities of economic development sectors. The objective of the project were to make suggestions for enlisting the functional responsibilities of each tier / type of LSGIs as enunciated in the enactments, to demarcate the functional domain of the Local Government and State Government / Departments based on the experiences, to prepare Responsibility Matrix in respect of each tier / type of Local Government and Government

The actual mapping of responsibilities and functions were done by the 18 Working Groups constituted by the State Planning Board in each sector for the purpose. The activity has been taken up as a Technical Assistance programme under the Decentralisation Support Programme of the Department of Local Self Government, Kerala. Workshops of the Working Group were organized to discuss and finalise the allocation of responsibilities.