Programme Planning, Implementation and Evalution

PROGRAMME PLANNING, IMPLEMENTATION AND EVALUATION 2(1+1)

Lesson 17 : Role of Local Leaders in Programme Execution

Local leaders

Local leaders contribute in the following ways:

1. Organize local groups
2. Teach their neighbours’ and friends, thereby helping the work of extension worker.
3. Serves as a source of information and technical knowledge to people so that extension work can continue in the absence of extension worker.
4. Help in improving economic and social living conditions of rural people.
5. An important function of a local leader is that he acts as a liaison between the extension worker and the people. The teaching, trainings and the recognition which leaders receive, they explain and transmit it in a better way to the rural people.
6. Another role of the local leaders is that he helps the people in getting recognition from extension worker or senior government officials of what they are doing. The village people should be informed from time to time, how much their work has contributed to the success of the project? This reward or recognition of good work by the people can be facilitated by the local leaders in the following ways:
• A home visit by the extension worker
• Publishing story of success in local newspapers
• Certificate presented to the people at a public ceremony
• Giving the leaders a badge to wear which identifies them as leaders
7. Village leaders help the village people in identifying the needs of people i.e. listing out their felt and unfelt needs.
8. Village leaders assist the extension workers in collection and analysis of facts, help in providing the indigenous technologies available to solve the problem and indicate the available local resources for certain solutions.
9. Village leaders strive hard to convince local people for larger participation in the programme being implemented. They also encourage and improve interaction among group members.
10. Local leaders put in their best efforts for successful execution of the programme, thereby arranging for inputs, supplies, infrastructure, seeds, credit facility etc. required for conducting activities.
11. Help in organizing meetings and discussions during different phases of programme execution.
12. Local leaders take interest and serve as initiator in a local programme. They are the ones who catch new ideas first and serve the community without any incentive of profit to them.
13. A local leader influences people to cooperate towards the identified goal.
14. He speaks for the people he is representing, thereby acting as a spokesman.
15. A local leader deals in a tactful way with persons creating conflicts in the group and unites them in working towards common goals, thereby serving as a harmonizer.
16. They help the group in carrying out the plans and policies and getting things done by stimulating them.

In a nutshell, the local leaders act as: