Communitization

The concept of communitization was first introduced in Nagaland during 2002-03 and after enactment of the Nagaland Communitisation of Public Institutions and Services Act, 2004, the state government, in phase wise manner, handed over parts of ownership and management of sectors like elementary education, health care, water supply, electricity, and biodiversity conservation to the communities. The concept of communitization may be understood as the institutionalizing and scaling up of community led action of the prescribed sectors. Communitization is a process of the government and the community getting into “partnership”, working and sharing responsibilities in the management of public institutions and services in order to make them function optimally and deliver quality services for the overall growth and development of society. Communitization empowers the people and makes governance more participatory.

In 2008, the government of Nagaland was awarded the coveted United Nations Award for Public Service from Asia and the Pacific region for “fostering participation in policy making through innovative mechanisms.” The concept of communitization is very relevant to Naga society and the government of Nagaland must be credited for its enactment. The only downside of communitization is that the members of a given community might sometimes not have the right people to perform as partners effectively. In such cases, the implementation or performance of a communitized project might not be as productive as envisaged. Moreover, apart from ineffective participation, there are also chances for complacency and mismanagement when incompetent people get into the system. Nonetheless, communitization is a far better option for participatory governance than any other system especially in Nagaland. If at all there are flaws, then they may be corrected through timely intervention but communitization must stay.

The news of a 1 megawatt hydroelectric project being inaugurated at Tzütsüng in Longsa village on May 3 is a welcome development. Apart from meeting clean energy norms, there are many direct benefits that the people of Longsa can draw out of this project for which they must be grateful. However, this project also puts a lot of weight on their shoulders. With privilege comes responsibility. As stated by the Advisor of New and Renewable Energy, handing over the project to Longsa Village Council is a move to take communitization a step further. It is estimated that a 1 MW power project can supply uninterrupted power to about 850 average households, perhaps enough to meet the village’s power demand. The success or failure of the whole idea of communitization, or its relevance, will be determined to a large extent by this project for the simple reason that it is not only a first but is also a unique venture.