• Matching of Resources with the Plan:
  Ideally speaking, each gram Panchayat should be free to allocate resources in accordance with the assessed needs. However, at this stage of development, the local planning exercise has to take into account the availability of sources of funds. The attempts should be to put them to best possible use. Therefore, once the order of resources for the plan are known, it is expected to place them into a matrix that is divided into three categories, namely, purely untied funds, partly untied funds (where there is some flexibility in use) and tied funds. Such a matrix would give each Panchayat an idea of how it can slot its priorities into the conditionalities associated with funding. This would ensure that funds, which are inescapably tied should be first used and then untied funds are applied. Once needs are assessed at the Panchayat level, linking each need to the source of funding can be adopted.
  
  To incentivise the states to increase public investment in agriculture and allied sectors, the following suggestions may be adhered.
  
  
  • To ensure that agriculture plans are prepared for the districts and then integrated with the agriculture plan for the State based on the agro-climatic conditions, availability of technology and natural resources.
  
  
  • To ensure that the local needs /crops/priorities are better reflected in the agricultural plans of the states.
  
  
  • To achieve the goal of reducing the yield gap in important crops through focused interventions.
  
  
  • To provide flexibility and autonomy to States in the process of planning and executing agriculture and allied sector schemes.
  
  
  • To maximize returns to the farmers in agriculture and allied sectors.
  
  
  • To bring about quantifiable changes in the production and productivity of various components of agriculture and allied sectors by addressing them in a holistic manner including the researchable issues.