BRICS international meeting in Kochi from November 3

Thiruvananthapuram: A three-day international meeting on 'Participatory Local Budgeting and Decentralisation' of BRICS nations will be held in Kochi from November 3.

Talking to reporters, Local Administration Minister K T Jaleel said representatives from Brazil, Russia, China, South Africa and India would attend the meeting, to be inaugurated by Union Minister for Rural Development, Drinking Water, Sanitation and Panchayati Raj Narendra Singh Tomar.

"This is the second meeting connected with decentralisation to be held in the country after India took over the Chairmanship of BRICS," Jaleel said.

"The meeting is not merely of transfer of ideas, but also to have an on the spot inspection of what is happening in the civic bodies," Jaleel said.

Policy frame work for fiscal decentralisation including nature of devolution to local bodies to undertake participatory local budgeting, sharing and transfer of resources, decentralisation implementation systems, community engagement in local planning and budgeting process are some of the main topics to be discussed at the meet.

The valedictory function would be inaugurated by Union Minister of Urban Development, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation and Information and Broadcasting Venkaiah Naidu.