Panchayati Raj:Local Democracy in Action

India is poor because the villages of India are poor. India will be rich if the villages of India are rich. Panchayats should be given greater power; for we want the villagers to have a greater measure of real swaraj [self-government] in their own villages. – Jawaharlal Nehru, first Prime Minister of India

In spite of its status as the world’s largest democracy, the vast majority of Indians, and particularly the 720 million people who live in rural villages, are largely dependent upon remote and unresponsive government structures historically characterised by bureaucracy, corruption and lack of transparency.

In many parts of rural India, there has been a deep rift between the people and their government. Rural people rarely receive information about the plans and actions of government. They lack ways to influence policies, programmes, or resource allocations for development. Many have no effective means of participating in shaping their future, and government officials are not always accountable to the communities they purport to serve.

It is no wonder that progress in improving the conditions of life in most parts of rural India has been slow to nonexistent.

As Nobel Prize–winning economist Amartya Sen has pointed out, "Democracy is not only the goal of development, it is the primary means of development". Only when every individual experiences greater freedom, voice and opportunity will each fully bring her or his creative powers to bear on solving the problems of the community.

The challenges facing rural India can never be solved by top-down, bureaucratic interventions. The critical needs of communities in health, sanitation, clean water, education, family planning and income can only be met locally — through local responsibility, accountability and action — utilising local resources to the greatest possible extent.

This truth, and the Gandhian principle of gram swaraj (village self-government), were recognised at the time of India’s independence, but were not made a part of the constitution, never institutionalised and never fully put into practice.

Only in 1993, with the adoption of the 73^rd amendment to the constitution, did India begin a process with the potential to create genuine democracy at the village level. It represents an historic opportunity to transform the face of rural India.

The 73^rd amendment establishes panchayati raj: a system of local democracy through local councils known as panchayats. The amendment mandates that resources, responsibility and decision-making power be devolved from central government and placed in the hands of rural grass-roots people, with elections every five years.

The most revolutionary aspect of the amendment is that one-third of all panchayat seats are reserved for women. Rural women — who for centuries have lived in conditions of malnutrition, illiteracy and powerlessness — are now taking leadership roles in addressing these very issues.

This revolution is not going unopposed. Social and political elites in many areas are seeking to undermine and nullify panchayati raj, since they perceive it as a threat to their monopoly on power and a challenge to their domination of society. The democratic process is held back by an entrenched patriarchal and feudal mind-set that insists that panchayati raj — and certainly women’s leadership — will never work. The forces that oppose local democracy are the same forces that hold the subjugation of women in place.

The destiny of the nation. For India to build a broad-based, solid foundation for economic and social progress, it must uproot the vestiges of feudalism and instil democratic values and practices. The people who live in India’s 750,000 villages must become the authors of their own lives, and women must be respected and supported as equal partners in the process of development.

Basic facts about panchayati raj

• Tradition: Panchayats are an ancient form of local government based on the idea that when five (panch) elders come together, God will be present.
• Gram swaraj (village self-government) was a goal of India’s Freedom Movement, although it was not originally enshrined in India’s 1951 constitution.
• Until the 1960s, panchayati raj served as the foundation for rural development in India’s first two five-year plans. As bureaucratic power increased, panchayati raj was allowed to die in most states.
• The passage of the 73rd amendment in 1992 by the Indian parliament became part of the constitution in April 1993 after many years of national discussion and debate. The late prime minister, Rajiv Gandhi, championed the rebirth of panchayati raj.
• State action. The amendment required every state to pass or amend its own panchayat act by April 1994, and to hold elections by April 1995.
• A three-tier system. The amendment created a system of local democracy at the village level (gram panchayat), the block level (panchayat samity, the lowest level of the government bureaucracy, encompassing 10–20 panchayats), and the district level (zilla panchayat, comprising 4–10 blocks).
• Gram sabha. To ensure that the panchayats themselves stay accountable to all the people of their constituency, they are required to hold village assemblies (gram sabha) several times each year, with a quorum of citizens attending.
• Reserved seats. The 73rd amendment reserves seats for the most powerless members of society on a revolving basis, as determined by the election commission. One-third of all seats — including one-third of all panchayat presidencies — are reserved for women. In addition, seats are also reserved for members of scheduled tribes and scheduled castes proportional to their population.
• Devolution of powers: The "11th schedule" of the amendment specifies 29 areas of responsibility, covering all key aspects of village life, which states may transfer to the panchayats — along with sufficient resources and decision-making authority. In practice, most states have transferred very little power and few financial resources to the panchayats.

 

Panchayat responsibilities. The 11 schedule of the 73rd amendment specifies 29 areas of responsibility that states may devolve to the panchayats. Note: areas marked in bold are areas where independent observers have indicated that women bear primary responsibility.
Agriculture, including agricultural extension Land improvement, implementation of land reforms, land consolidation and soil conservation Minor irrigation, water management and watershed development Animal husbandry, dairy and poultry Fisheries Social forestry and farm forestry Minor forest produce Small scale industries, including food processing industries Khadi (homespun cloth), village and cottage industries	Rural housing Drinking water Fuel and fodder Roads, culverts, bridges, ferries, waterways and other means of communication Rural electrification, including distribution of electricity Non-conventional energy sources Poverty alleviation programmes Education including primary and secondary schools Technical training and vocational education Adult and non-formal education	Libraries Cultural activities Markets and fairs Health and sanitation, including hospitals, primary health centres and dispensaries Family welfare Women and child development Social welfare, including welfare of the handicapped and mentally retarded Welfare of the weaker sections, and in particular, of the scheduled castes and the scheduled tribes Public distribution system Maintenance of community assets