Intro:
In Gandhiji's vision of Poorna Swaraj, empowerment of villages held a key position. Given the humongous population our villages sustain, it becomes all the more important to make the functioning of villages more democratic and efficient.Theres is need for democratic decentralisation to usher in genuine grass roots democracy. Participative Governance is a cornerstone of a Democracy. Article 40 of the Indian Constitution under the Directive Principles of State Policy lays down that the State shall take steps to organise village panchayats and endow them with such powers and authority as may be necessary. On the recommendations of Balwant Rai Mehta Committee, 73rd C.Amendment Act, 1992 was enacted which provided Constitutional Status to the Gram Panchayats. Despite the constitutional mandate, the growth of self-governing local bodies has been uneven and slow.
Issues
Though 33% reservations have been provided to women. Their participation is however limited due to their male spouses ruling by proxy. Holding Panchayat meetings outside the villages limits their participation further.
States often postpone the elections on some pretext or other.
Even mandatory provisions like the constitution of District Planning Committees and Metropolitan Planning Committees have been ignored in many States.
The major sources of income for local governments like property tax etc. are woefully inadequate to meet their obligation. Allocated funds require an average of 6 months to reach the Panchayats. Due to the fear of losing popularity among villagers, the village headmen are reluctant to impose taxes.
Way Forward
Kerala has performed fairly well in the Devolution Index. Its model needs to be emulated in the other states.
Improve their finances by searching for avenues of raising resources.
Application of the principle of subsidiarity in the context of decentralisation. The State governments should transfer the mandate of legislating on 29 subjects to the Panchayats as mentioned in the 11th schedule. There should be a clear delineation of functions of local governments vis-à-vis State Governments.
A part of royalty should be given to Panchayats for the loss resulting due to mineral excavation.
P.S: Rajasthan was the first state to implement Panchayati Raj. Ashok Mehta Committee's recommendations were made after that of Balwant Rai Mehta Committee's recommendations. The former recommended replacing 3-tier govt. with 2-tier govt.
