Panchayati Raj System and District Initiatives

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Panchayati Raj SystemandDistrict Initiatives
K M Mishra
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Objectives

• Panchayati Raj system
• Advantages, Disadvantages
• Plans linked to potential(PLPs)
• Participatory role of village community in the
  planning process.
• District Initiatives- DRDA
• Empowerment of masses
• Women empowerment.

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Panchayati Raj in India

• India has a chequered history of Panchayati Raj
• Starting from a self-sufficient and
  self-governing village communities surviving the
  rise and fall of empires, to the modern legalized
  institutions of governance provided with
  Constitutional support.
• During Rig Veda (1200 BC) the self governing
  bodies called Sabha existed.

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Panchayati Raj in India (contd..)

• Feudalistic system of governance during Mughal
  rule in the medieval India created a new class of
  feudal chiefs and revenue collectors (Zamindars)
• Panchayats (democratic systems) were never a
  priority to the British rulers. They were
  interested in controlled local bodies
• During British rule, establishment of local civil
  and criminal courts, revenue and police eroded in
  value and effected the Panchayati System.
• For a sustainable economic growth to take place
  in any country, it is necessary that people
  participate in political process of the society.

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VILLAGE GOVERNANCE

• The institution of Panchayati Raj is specifically
  designed for rural population with the basic
  objective of democratic decentralization and
  devolution of power to ensure accelerated
  socio-economic progress with every individual
  being the architect of his/her own government.
• Mahatma Gandhi dreamt of Gram Swaraj
  Independent Village Republics and advocated
  Panchayati Raj, as a decentralized form of
  government where each village is responsible for
  its own Governance.

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VILLAGE GOVERNANCE (contd..)

• Similar sentiments were expressed by our first
  Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru.
• India is poor because villages of India are
  poor. India will be rich if the villages of India
  are rich. Panchayats should be given greater
  powers, for we want the villagers to have a
  greater measure of swaraj (self government) in
  their own villages.
• In the words of Prof Amartya Sen, Nobel Laureate,
  It is empowerment that leads to entitlements and
  entitlements lead to enrichment.
• Village governance is empowerment of Rural India.

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Panchayati Raj Post Independence era

• The founding fathers of the Independent India
  recognized the concept of self governance in the
• Directive Principle of State Policy, vide Article
  40, provided for setting up of village
  Panchayats.
• The Directive Principles of State Policy being
  non justiciable , there was no pressure on any
  state to set up such a system. After
  independence, India accelerated the development
  through active participation of people at grass
  root level.

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• Post Independence Scenario - The decentralization
  of socioeconomic development programmes - First
  Five Year Plan.
• Second Five Year Plan Conceptualize National
  Extensive Service Blocks.
• The Plans fail to accomplish decentralization

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• 73rd and 74th amendment of Constitution of India
  (1993) empowered local governments rural and
  urban , as constitutional entities and initiated
  a new chapter in the process of democratic
  decentralization in India.
• Responsive Panchayats at Village level (gram
  panchayats), Block level (intermediate
  panchayats ) and District level ( zila panchayats
  ) came in existence in the states.
• Democracy at the grassroot level as it is at the
  state level or national level.

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The Panchayat Raj System

• The Panchayat Raj System has three tier
  structures
• Gram Panchayat
• Gram Panchayat is the first level elected body
  and the basic unit of democracy , is the local
  government with specific responsibilities. Gram
  Sabha is the general body of the citizens of
  entire village .

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• Panchayat Samiti
• Panchayat samiti is a local government body at
  the tehsil or Taluka level, is the link between
  the Gram Panchayat and the district
  administration.
• Zila Panchayat
• District level of Panchayat Raj System the Zila
  Parishad.

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Panchayat Samiti

• Functions-
• Implement schemes for the development of
  agriculture.
• Establishment of primary health centers and
  primary schools.
• Supply of drinking water, drainage,
  construction/repair of roads.
• Development of cottage and small-scale industries
  and opening of cooperative societies.
• Establishment of youth organizations.
• Source of Income
• The main sources of income of the panchayat
  samiti are grants-in-aid and loans from the State
  Govt.

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Zila Parishad

• Functions
• Provide essential services and facilities to the
  rural population.
• The planning and execution of the development
  programmes for the district.
• Supply improved seeds to farmers. Inform them of
  new techniques and training in Agro production.
• Set up and run schools, Primary Health Centers
  and hospitals in villages.
• Construct bridges, roads and take care of public
  properties.

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• Execute plans for the development of the
  scheduled castes and tribes.
• Works for women empowerment as per government
  directives.
• Encourage entrepreneurs, small-scale industries,
  cottage industries, handicraft, agriculture
  produce processing, dairy farms, etc.
• Provide work for the poor people. (tribes,
  scheduled caste, lower caste) and execute poverty
  eradication programmes of the government.
• Source of Income
• Taxes on water, pilgrimage, markets, etc.
• Grant from the State Government/Central
  Government.

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Panchayat Raj Institutions Today

• About 3 million elected representatives at all
  levels of the panchayat one-third of which are
  women.
• These members represent more than 2.4 lakh Gram
  Panchayats
• About 6,000 intermediate level tiers
• More than 500 district panchayats.

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• The new panchayats cover about 96 per cent of
  India's more than 5.8 lakh villages
• Nearly 99.6 per cent of rural population is
  covered.
• Challenges facing rural India are resolved by
  rural participation.
• The largest experiment in decentralization of
  governance in the history of humanity.

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Achievements of Panchayat Raj Institutions

• The innovation has empowered the village
  community
• Widened the democratic base of rural India
  resulting in inclusive and integrated growth.
• Resulted in amazing development women
  empowerment and emergence of women as leaders.
• Large numbers of women are shouldering
  responsibilities with grace and competence,
  bringing enormous courage, enthusiasm and
  creativity.

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Achievements of Panchayat Raj Institutions
(contd..)

• Empowerment with high degree of self confidence
  and self esteem coupled, with political awareness
  and service orientations.
• Cross country rural market network- Rural
  Business Hubs. Fusion of rural produce with
  corporate expertise.
• Instrumental in planning and executing N.R.E.G.
  Act ensuring 100 day wage employment in every
  financial year.
• Instrumental in implementing rural development
  schemes/ programmes of Central/ State governments.

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Aberrations in the Effort

• Bureaucratic methods of the State Governments
  dilute the spirit of implementation.
• In some cases Panchayats are becoming an
  institutions to perpetuate cast inequalities,
  that already exist.
• The power rooted in caste, gender and sometimes
  religion determines the functioning of Panchayat
  system.

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District Rural Development Agency

• The Principal organ at District level, to develop
  District capabilities.
• Specialized and professional agency, capable of
  effective programme design, and implementation of
  different anti-poverty programmes.
• Provide the linkage and support to the
  implementing systems.

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District Rural Development Agency (contd..)

• Provides synergies among different agencies and
  bring about a convergence approach
• Catalyst to development process.
• Review the implementation process, ensure the
  benefits earmarked to target group (e.g.
  SC/ST/Women/Disabled) reach them.
• Improve/propagate the awareness regarding rural
  development and poverty alleviation programmes.
• Empowering rural masses in their ability to
  overcome poverty.

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Structure

• Each DRDA is under the charge of a CEO- Project
  Director.
• Where there are no Zila Parishads a cell is
  created which maintains a separate identity.
• Operational wings of DRDA look after Planning,
  Social Mobilization, Credit, Technologies, Self
  Employment, Women-cells, Watershed Management,
  Engineering and Accounts.
• A monitoring and evaluation wing overseen headed
  by Project Economist.

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Key Areas for PRI for next 3-5 years

• Energizing gram sabhas or village electorates.
  Ensuring accountability and transparency in these
  bodies.
• Sensitizing officials and facilitating stronger
  panchayat - administration links. Enabling
  panchayats to deliver on their promise of
  facilitating more equitable and effective
  development.
• PRIs to develop broad based relationship with
  NGOs, state government and various institutes for
  greater impact and effectiveness.
• On going evaluation on PRIs capacities to
  effectively and inclusively perform multiple
  development functions.
• Help, generate pool of replicable ideas.
• States to take PRI seriously and commit resources
  to them.

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Flagship Schemes for Rural Development

• National Rural Employment Guarantee Act launched
  Feb 2006 in 200 District , extended to 593
  district covering approx 450 lacs families with a
  current outlay of 39100 crores.
• Central Sanitation Scheme
• Sampoorna Gramin Rojgar Yojana
• Swarnjayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojana
• PURA Yojna
• MP/MLA Funds.
• Schemes by other departments

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Gram Swarajya

• The institution of Panchayati Raj is specifically
  designed for rural population with the basic
  objective of democratic decentralization and
  devolution of power to ensure accelerated
  socio-economic progress with every individual
  being the architect of his/her own government.
• The real effect will come when system is
  participative and socio economic equality is
  achieved A sociopolitical change for better
  India.

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Thank You