This book is an outcome of a National Seminar, jointly organised by the Centre for Multi-disciplinary Development Research, Dharwad and Karnataka Panchayat Raj Parishath, Bengaluru, held in 2019. It presents an overview of the decentralized planning in the Indian context with specific references to eight states including Karnataka, Kerala, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura and West Bengal. Many of these states have role models in the decentralized planning process that have been studied vastly for replication elsewhere. It narrates the experiences of these states through the ideas of the academicians and researchers who have been working in the field for the past thirty years. The discussions centre around the planning process, 73rd Amendment, Gram Panchayat Development Plan, inclusiveness, tribal area development, use of technology for participatory governance, human and economic development of the people in rural area and issues and problems in decentralised planning and the way forward to make decentralisation work in true sense and in principle. It stresses the need for sensitizing and empowering the people at the bottom. About the Author: N. Sivanna is currently working as Honorary Professor, at RDPR University, Gadag, Karnataka, and was a Retired Professor, Centre for Political Institutions, Governance and Development, Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bengaluru, Karnataka and was former Visiting Professor, Abdul Nazir Sab Panchayat Raj Chair, Centre for Multi- Disciplinary Development Research, Dharwad, India. He has academic and research interest in development studies, democracy and decentralisation. He works as a researcher, development practitioner, consultant and trainer. Email id:sivanna55.n@gmail.com Narayana Billava obtained his M.A., M.Phil., in Economics from Karnataka University, Dharwad and his Ph.D.in Economics from Kannada University, Hampi. He is working as Assistant Professor under Abdul Nazir Sab Panchayat Raj Chair, Centre for Multi Disciplinary Development Research (CMDR), Dharwad, affiliated to ICSSR, Government of India. His areas of research interest are decentralization, public finance, water supply, sanitation, and rural development. Email id: n.billava@gmail.com Nayanatara S. Nayak is a Professor in Centre for Multi-disciplinary Development Research (CMDR), Dharwad, affiliated to ICSSR, Government of India. She holds M.Phil. and Ph.D. in Economics from Karnataka University and Mangalore University respectively. Her research interests include health economics, environmental studies, decentralization, water resources and tobacco and alcohol control issues.