Citizens to have a say in PMC budget

Pune will become the first Indian city to have this civic model

PUNE: Residents of Pune may soon play a crucial role in municipality budget allocations. If things go as planned, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) will introduce participatory budgeting, which will allow Pune residents to decide how the PMC should spend its budget. With this programme, Pune will become the first city in India to follow an international civic administration model.

PMC’s idea of citizens having a say in how the tax payers’ money is allocated by elected representatives is inspired by an initiative was introduced in Porto Alegre in Brazil in 1989. Participatory budgeting has since then been adopted by many cities in Latin America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America.

Political parties in the city will meet this week to discuss the programme initiated by PMC. On municipality’s Standing Committee approves the plan, PMC will implement the programme. 

Janwani, a programme of the Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture, will collaborate with PMC in the project.

“Residents and elected budget delegates will identify spending priorities and vote on which priorities to implement,” said Janwani official Ranjit Gadgil.

PMC has planned an orientation programme on participatory budgeting for officers in Pune’s 144 wards. Janwani will use PMC’s facilities to train ward officers. Citizens will be imparted training at a later stage.