Wed Nov 19 13:55:29 UTC 2025: Here’s a summary of the text followed by a news article:

Summary:

D.R. Patil, vice-chairman of the Karnataka Decentralised Planning and Development Committee, stressed the importance of public participation in government development plans. He highlighted challenges in gathering information from citizens and emphasized the need to prioritize key issues and identify beneficiaries during the planning process. He instructed urban local bodies to form neighborhood groups and ward sabhas to improve urban area involvement in development planning. District-level planning should be prepared in advance and submitted to the Chief Minister before the State Budget. Training sessions on preparing district development plans have been conducted.

News Article:

Karnataka Aims for People-Powered Development with New Planning Initiatives

MYSURU, November 19, 2025 (The Hindu E-Paper) – The Karnataka government is doubling down on citizen engagement in development planning, according to D.R. Patil, vice-chairman of the Karnataka Decentralised Planning and Development Committee. Speaking at a meeting of Mysuru division officials on Wednesday, Patil emphasized that development initiatives must be driven by the needs and input of the public.

Patil acknowledged the challenges in gathering comprehensive citizen feedback, particularly in urban areas where participation in planning processes lags behind that of rural gram sabhas. To address this, he has mandated the formation of neighborhood groups and ward sabhas in urban local bodies by December 6th. These groups will serve as crucial conduits for citizen input in preparing urban development plans.

“If district planning committees function effectively, many public grievances can be addressed swiftly,” noted Patil. He stressed the importance of prioritizing key issues and identifying beneficiaries accurately during the planning stages.

Regional Commissioner Niteesh Patil confirmed that training sessions on district development plan preparation have already taken place and urged districts to expedite their planning processes. The government expects district-level plans to be submitted to the Chief Minister before the State Budget is finalized. The initiative aims to foster a more people-centric approach to development across the state.

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