What is Participatory Budgeting?

City budgets decide how much and on what projects money is spent in that financial year. The administrative officials along with inputs from elected representatives usually decide this.

Participatory Budget means that people themselves should decide what local projects money should be allocated to….

Evalution of participatory budget in Pune:

Participatory Budgeting Process in 2005 – 06

Dr Nitin Kareer, Municipal Commissioner, PMC attended a citizens’ PROOF meeting organized by Janaagraha in Bangalore and discussed a possible methodology for Pune. A form of participatory budgeting was conducted in Pune in 2005-06 at his initiative,

A public meeting on participatory budgeting was organized by NSCC on 15 July 2006. An overview of the structure and function of the PMC and the process of municipal budgeting in Pune was provided by the Municipal Commissioner. Following this meeting, citizens and organized groups including NSCC Mohalla Committees and Nagrik Chetna Manch gave their requests for budget works to their ward offices. The 2006 process had provided a foundation for the PB process in Pune. The Municipal Commissioner was keen to enhance participation from all segments, provide greater publicity and to facilitate joint identification and prioritization of works by citizens. Initial meetings were held from August through to November between PMC and Janwani at the behest of Janwani, to institute a more formal system that could be facilitated by Janwani in partnership with other organizations.

A MoU was drafted between PMC and Janwani and shared with NSCC and CEE as potential partners. This MoU was eventually never signed, as some of the partners felt that it was not acceptable that PMC undertake a MoU with only a single agency to anchor the process. The Municipal Commissioner’s view was that an organization that has Mr. B G Deshmukh, a former Cabinet Secretary as the President would be acceptable to local councilors. CEE decided to partner with Janwani even without formal MoUs (between Janwani and PMC, or between CEE and Janwani) with a view that though the process and individual organizational roles were not clear in the beginning that these would evolve over time, and that even without these a substantial learning opportunity was being made available.

The process of Participatory Budgeting for the 2006-07 PMC budget is described in two sections:

1. Process Facilitated by the Urban Community Development Dept

2. Process Facilitated through Zonal and Ward Offices

CEE undertook to locate postgraduate students and other volunteers who could be trained as neutral facilitators, and who would help develop the tools of the PB process. Fourteen students from the Economics Dept of University of Pune were selected as facilitators. For CEE, this became part of its work as the Sects of the United Nations University Institute of Advanced Studies Regional Center of Expertise on Sustainable Urban Development. Hence the preparations for that JW CEE team undertook towards development of the tools for the process and the training of 14 facilitators.

Actual Practice of PB in Pune:

All the wards of PMC under Public participatory Budget had allotted a sum of

Rs. 15, 00,000/-

The citizens were intimated through newspaper publications and advertisements issued by PMC itself. Citizen till a sum of Rs. 5, 00,000/-, invited developmental projects

PMC got an overwhelming response from the public in terms of quality and quantity of public suggested works. These projects were further scrutinized by ward officers after due consultation with the concerned departments. Based on the worth and urgency of the projects they were prioritized. The projects amounting Rs. 15 lakhs were finalized included into the budget.

 Janwani is not receiving any monitory compensation for this initiative.

 Other interested citizens may volunteer their services by called