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Transcript of Ar. Ut tam K. Roy - atiwb.gov.in · Ar. Ut tam K. Roy Abstract After 74th Constitutional Amendment...
Ar. Ut tam K. Roy
Abstract
After 74th Constitutional Amendment Act, Municipalities (Urban LocalBodies) are empowered and entrusted to perform planning,development and governance for the city to provide services to thecitizens. Previously municipalities were unable to perform those dueto several reasons. Initiatives for the capacity building of urban localbodies have been taken by government. Multifarious problems alongwith increasing pressure of urbanization did not make those initiativesup to the expected level. In spite of those shortcomings there arenumber of experiences, which are very much relevant to the reform inthe urban local bodies and needs attention for further capacity buildingwith the reactive and proactive changes, which are taking place in theurban sector of India. This paper focuses on various aspects of trainingwhich is essential for Capaciy Building.
Need for Training for Good Governance
Good governance can be achieved through the overall performance of
officials of an organization, which is nothing but the reflection of required
knowledge, skill and attitude for the specific job. In the case of Urban Local
Bodies (ULBs) the knowledge, skill and attitude are historically lowered due
to various reasons. Willingness to perform better in the job situation is
dependent partly on the knowledge and skill level of the officials. After 74th
Constitutional Amendment (Act) there is huge scope for improvement in the
governance of ULBs. The change of out)ook towards the third tier governmentlike ULBs in the Act has drastically increased the lack of awareness in the
mind set of the municipal staff as well as elected representatives. There lies
the need of training for excellence in the service delivery specially for
organizations like ULBs.
Shri Ar. Ut tam K. Roy is Assistant Professor (HUDCO), ATI, West Bengal.
Management in Government 8 July-Septembet; 2007 23
Municipal Structure of West Bengal
28 percent of total population of West Bengal is urban. A total of 126
Urban Local Bodies are there, composition of which are as below:
Municipal Corporations 6 nos
~Municipalities 117 nos :
Notified area authorities 3 nosIt may be noted that West Bengal is one of the most urbanized state in
the country. Huge and heterogeneous staffing pattern as well as quantitybecomes the most crucial issue for the capacity building of Urban LocalBodies. Among those only Kolkata Municipal Corporation and HowrahMunicipal Corporation have around 43000 workers. Most of the staff doesnot have required knowledge about the amendment in Constitution andsubsequent changes of roles of municipality vis-a-vis individuals. Hence,training is required in all sectors but it is quite difficult to provide qualitytraining to all.
Training initiatives in West Bengal for Urban Local Bodies
Several initiatives have been taken for training for Urban Local Bodies.
These are;
Institute for Local Government and Urban Studies (ILGUS)-set up under Municipal Affairs Department, provides trainingto most of the municipalities excluding Kolkata Municipal
Corporation.
Administrative Training Institute (A TI), apex training institutionof government of West Bengal provides quality training to themunicipal staff including elected representatives. UrbanManagement Centre (UMC) set up in ATI in collaboration withHousing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO) takescharge of the training activities of Urban Local Bodies.
Kolkata Municipal Corporation has separate training cell forthe capacity building of their staff and elected members.
Besides these initiatives, some training programmes are arranged inthe Urban Local Bodies itself or by other organizations for any specificprogrammes. Those are mainly imparted by private training organizations.
Training Experiences in Urban Management Centre, A TI
It has been told earlier that quality training is imparted by A TI being theapex training institution. It is known that there are four stages for systematic
24 Management in Government. July-September,200l
approach of training (SAT). The experiences gathered at A TI may be describedin the form of the following stages of training.
~
~//
~
""""~
\. Training /, /
~
,/""' *'
~/
~
Stages of Systematic approach to the Training
A Training Needs Assessment (TNA)
Unlike other demand -driven training TNA could not be done in the caseof training of ULBs due to its quantity and heterogeneity. Still for the purposeof designing the annual training calendar a training need is assumed on thebasis of the following:
.General assumption of the knowledge and skill deficiency ofnewly elected councillors regarding the municipal governancelike 74th Constitutional Amendment Act, Municipal Act,municipal resource mobilization, municipal services, wardcommittee rules, etc.
Proactive changes or reforms in the municipal governancelike accounting system reform, tax system reforms, Right toInformation Act, Draft Development Plan, e-governance, etc.
.Knowledge and skill requirement of several governmentlDFID
programmes like SJSRY, NSDP, V AMBA Y , KUSP, etc.
.Organized TNA for very few people like Executive/ Assistant
Engineers/ Executive Officers/ Urban Planners who are placed
directly by state government.
Experiences: generalized study on training need does not help indesigning training in a very specific performance oriented job, rather it makestrainer to assume from his past experiences or other studies.
Management in Government 8 July-September, 2007 25
B Planning and designing of Training
Planning for the training in a particular year becomes challenging asthere was not so organised base of TNA (i.e. in organized format). Framingof training calendar always remained an exercise, based on the experiencesof the past year training. Below are the numbers of training during last fiveyears showing the evolution of selection of appropriate training from the past
year.
~
no,1
Table I:Training imported working the last five years
Training selection No of trainingorganized/planned per year
I 2001-0212002-03
Continued from previous year 0 23
~ New training course added j 12
I
Total training par year 12 28 24 21 28
Source; Internal repor1, UMC, ATI
25 13 9 5
Basis of Training Scheduling
30
25
20
In01C
'2
9...0..GI
.QE~
z
15
10
5
02001-02 2002-03 2003-04
Years
2004-05 2005-06
It is quite evident from the table and charts that
The number of newly added training per year is decreasing eachyear and
Number of training evolved from previous year is increasing.
The trend reflects that the training package incorporated or selected
26 Management in Government 8 July-September, 2007
through the years is becoming more appropriate with requirement
of the contemporary situation.
Now if we give an insight at the selection or delivery of training as per
subject areas more avenues of experiences will emerge. The table and chart
below may be referred.
Table II: Selection of training as per subject areas through years
SI J Types of training asno per subject areas
No of training organizedl
planned per year
2001 tlO02 12°03-1~ I -io-05
02 b3 04 05 06
6 10 2 2Urban governance/management
(for chairman and executive officer)
4
Total
(in perc.
entage)
24(21%)
, 2 I Finance and Acco-un~~~m~n-tI3
16
2
4
4
2
6
3
2
8
~21(19%) 6(5%)
21(19%)
3 I Assessment and tax administration' 0
4 Computer application(for clerical staff)
Q
5 6 3OI 4 7 120(18%)Orientation courses(for councillors and wardcommittee members)
6 Planning, development and Municipal
municipal services(technical)!3 4 6 34 120(18%)
Sources' Internal Report, UMC, ATI
Training by subject areas
18% 21%
.Urban go\emancelmanagement
.Finance and Accounts management
DAssessment and tax administration
I .Computer application
.Orientation courses
.Planning, de\elopment and municipalser..;ces(technical) courses5%19%
. The above chart clearly shows that a major portion of training,39%(21 + 18) has been provided for the policy makers 1ikechairman, executive officers, councilors, etc. where as 61 %training in number has been provided for the staff directlyengaged in the execution of the municipal services.
Management in Government. July-September; 2007 27
As the application of computers has come through variousprogrammes and reforms after the year 2000 the training incomputer orientation has been provided in good number .
.
Designing of Tr~ining Module
Like the planning for the training schedules, the designing of trainingmodule also was a continuous process of changing and synthesis. Acomparative analysis as shown below may be a good example to illustratethis. The training named Capacity building for Elected Representatives(Orientation Course for the councillors) is taken for the present study.
Table III: Change in the Module of a training through year
Learning Units Time allotted in each learning unit
2002-03~ 2003-0412004-0512005-06'
3.001 Municipal governance 3.45
1.15
2.30
5
2.5
2.5
5
2.5
2.5
Decentralization
WBM Act
Legal provision:
1.00
1.00
Constitutional and
legislativeRole of Municipal NGO/CBO in the Municipal
governance
1.00
Asset Management 1.15
2.452 5 4.45 4.00Municipal Services,planning and development
Urban Planning andBuilding bye laws
2.30
GIS 1.15
1.151.30
1.15
1.15
2.30
Citizens Charter
Urban Planning and
development
Management of Municipal
Projects
1.00
Management in Government 8 July-September, 200728
1.00
1.00
2.00
4.003 5.15 10 5.00
2.30
2.302.45 2.30 1.00
1.00
1.00
Draft development Plan andAnnual Development Plan
Vigilance and Monitoring
Recourse mobilizationi and allied programmesIMunicipal finance
Poverty alleviation
programmes
Revenue Collection
Joint Ventures
Scope of Local initiatives
Urban Finance
Municipal budgeting
Assessment and ValuationModern Accounting Systemand Budgeting
Role of Councillors 00
Councillors as decisionmakers
Councillors as overseer
Urbanisation:Challenges and
opportunities
Total average timeallocated
1.15
1.15
1.15
1.00
2.30
2.30 2.301.15
4 2.30 1.15
1.15
2.00
1.15 1.00
1.15
5 1.00
3 days 15 days 14 days 3 days
Source: Internal report of ATI
.Time allocated for the capacity building course decreased incourse of time. Chairman, member Chairman in council andcouncillors are more convenient and willing to go for small andcompact training courses.
.New subjects like Right to Information Act, Joint ventures,Role of NGO, etc. have come in the course with the time asnew reforms are coming.
Management in Government 8 July-September; 2007 29
Introduction of subjects like Draft Development Plan happenedin recent years due to thrust caming from programmes likeKUSP, JNNURM, etc.
c Implementation stage: Learning Event
Experiences in learning event are again very interesting in the case ofATI, Kolkata. This may be better understood as per the analysis ofstakeholders of training =
Table IV: Analysis of learning event
Type of Trainees
(participants)
IType of learning
event as desired
Preferredtime fora singlesession
Type of subjects
they enjoy
I Ambience of
the classroom
preferred
Chairman/ViceChairman andCouncillors
Group discussion,group exercises,case study, guidedpractice, role
playing
Not more
than
one hour
I Legal and financial
matters
Interactiveinformal.
ExecutiveOfficers
Case study, guided
practice, lecture,
i demonstration
Do 1-1.30 hr! Interactive
I formal
Finance persons
includingassessment
persons
DoI Case study, guidedpractice, lecture
Financial mattersand relatedmatters
I Interactive
formal
Urban Planners
Engineers~ Presentation, guided practice, lecture, off
site training session
Do but
maysustainup to4,QO hr
ITechnical matters Interactiveformaland informal
Clerical staffs Presentation, guidedDractice
~Theoretical as well
as practical knowle-dge of their works
Interactive and
formal
Do
D Assessment
In ATI, West Bengal internal assessment is done by an immediatereaction questionnaire (IRQ) and question-answer after the completion of thetraining. External validation is done for very few cases, as these trainingsare not demand -based. In some cases the external assessment is doneand follow up training courses or workshops are organised. In fact, as thetraining by and large is supply -based and the authority is not keen to knowthe development of the performance of the staff. For the assessment of the
30 Management in Government. July-Septembel; 2007
training the institute has gathered little experience. It can only be said thatfor the better efficiency the training should be demand -based and have theprocess of assessment from the employers.
Emerging Issues and Areas for Concern
Training for the Urban Local Bodies is a thrust area for the governmentas well as in the foreign programme. Hence, in the light of the experience inthe training delivery .modalities and the present perspective some areas ofconcerns are to be considered on an urgent basis. Planners, administratorsand elected representatives should understand the essence of thecontemporary change in the modalities of the training delivery and carryforward. The following points may be referred:
.
.
The reforms in urban areas are emerging in a rapid way. N-eedfor training is also increasing. For these the training should beframed in the planning of the local bodies on the basis ofdemand from the municipality itself. The modalities of thetraining needs analysis may be worked out in consultationwith other training agencies and stakeholders.
Attention and concerns to the training from various levels ofdecision makers is not as required.
. The experienced officials as well as elected representativeshould have an exposure of training which is trainee based.Thusthe future training modu'e needs to be reoriented intoexperiential learning rather than supply the based trainercentered learning.
~iner ba:;;"-"classroom
oriented learning
' ~
)~ Traine~ ba~ ' ?'Jd
experiential
learning,
I Lesser involvement of
the trainees and lesser
interaction
Management in Government 8 July-Septembel; 2007 31
Major concern for the Training Modalities in the Present Perspective
.To supply more number of trainings to cover all municipalities.Capacity of existing nodal training institutions need to be augmented
Use of innovative methods like role playing, case study, field visit,skill development exercise, brain storming, etc. seems to havegreater contribution in facilitating the learning.
.
Training and related course materials will be more effective if
translated in the regional languages for elected representatives.
. Processes of external assessment need to be started otherwisethe training process will lose its integration with implementationof training performance in the work atmosphere.
Training for Community Development society and ward committee
should be organized in a decentralized manner..
Training Of potential trainers from the municipality itself may be
thought of for the wider coverage..
ConclusionSustained supply of quality training for capacity building is one of the
best ways to get excellence in municipal service delivery. Efforts should bethere to increase the quantity as well as quality training to comply with theneed of the current situation. Initiatives from NGO, CBOs with governmentorganization may be fruitful for improvement. Stakeholders need to sit withthe emerging issues in capacity building and sort out the possible path for
further excellence.
References
1. Internal course report and other study, UMC, ATI.
2. Urban West Bengal, 2000-2002, ILGUS, Government of West Bengal.
3. Course module of DTS I and DTS II, DoPT, Government of India.
4. Monograph for the trainers handbook, Dr. Arabimda Ghosh, ATI,
Kolkata.
Management in Government. July-September, 200732