Article 243ZD mandates District Planning Committee to consolidate plans prepared by Panchayats and Municipalities and prepare draft development plan for the district, with emphasis on spatial planning, resource optimization, and ______ development.

District Planning Committee functions: (a) Article 243ZD (74th Amendment): Mandates DPC to consolidate plans from Panchayats, Municipalities, prepare draft development plan for district, (b) Key functions: (i) Spatial planning: Integrate land-use, infrastructure planning across rural-urban continuum within district, (ii) Resource optimization: Allocate resources efficiently across Panchayats, Municipalities based on needs, priorities, (iii) Integrated development: Ensure coordinated development of agriculture, industry, services, infrastructure for holistic district growth, (c) Applications: (i) Rural-urban linkages: DPC plans for water supply from rural sources to urban centers, waste management from urban to rural processing, (ii) Infrastructure coordination: Plan roads, electricity, digital connectivity connecting villages, towns, cities within district, (iii) Economic integration: Promote value chains linking rural production (agriculture) with urban processing, markets, (d) Challenges: (i) Jurisdiction: Defining district boundaries, coordinating across multiple local bodies with different mandates, (ii) Capacity: DPC members need training on integrated planning, inter-governmental coordination, (iii) Political will: State governments must empower DPCs with functions, funds, authority for effective planning, (e) Illustrates integrated federalism: DPC operationalizes district-scale planning; constitutional mandate enables holistic development through participatory, evidence-based planning across rural-urban continuum.