• The Panchayati Raj is one of the most original and ancient systems of local self-governance in rural India, offering a sense of direct democracy.

• Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi, it aims to provide direct self-governance to rural masses.

• Explicitly mentioned in Part IV, Article 40 of the Constitution, which directs the government to organize Panchayati Raj to bring governance to the masses.

• The constitutional reference stimulated efforts to operationalize Panchayati Raj post-Independence.

• Misconceptions about Panchayati Raj undermining the autonomy of MPs and MLAs delayed its full implementation.

• Committees like the Balwantrai Mehta Committee and Ashok Mehta Committee made efforts to strengthen Panchayati Raj, but significant results were limited until the Seventy-third Constitutional Amendment Act, 1993.

• The Seventy-third Amendment:

  • Provided constitutional backing to Panchayati Raj institutions

  • Defined their operational space, powers, and resources

  • Strengthened them as real institutions of self-governance

• Overcoming neglect for four decades, Panchayati Raj has progressed significantly post-Amendment.

• Regular elections are held with 33% reservation for women and adequate representation for marginalized sections.

• Panchayati Raj institutions serve as instruments of political training for the masses at village, block, and district levels.

• They exemplify democratic governance, enabling common people to manage local resources and ensure improved quality of life.

• Adequate financial provisions empower Panchayati Raj institutions to implement local plans and programmes effectively.

• Key focus areas include:

  • Structure, powers, and functions of Panchayati Raj institutions

  • Issues affecting effectiveness

  • Role of women in panchayats

  • Political realities influencing functioning

  • Assessment of Panchayats as instruments of development compared to bureaucracy-led local development.

LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT IN INDIA

• India is a pioneer in grassroots democracy, taking governance to the common people through local self-government institutions.

• The notion of direct democracy in Janapadas and Mahajanapadas is considered a precursor to Panchayati Raj in post-Independence India.

• Local self-government is two-dimensional: rural (Panchayati Raj) and urban (municipal government).

• Roots of urban local self-government trace back to British rule in 1687, with the Madras Municipal Corporation aimed at transferring local financial burdens to the city council.

• During colonial rule, local self-government, particularly Panchayati Raj, was neglected as British rulers centralized powers to maximize exploitative gains.

• Post-Independence, Gandhi’s vision of village-based governance was initially rejected by the Congress Constitution Committee for being overly decentralized.

• Gandhi’s persistence led to Article 40, Part IV of the Constitution, directing the organization of Panchayati Raj, though it lacked mandatory sanction for operationalization in 1950.

• For almost a decade post-Constitution, no efforts were made to implement Article 40.

• The Community Development Programme failed due to lack of people’s participation and absence of suitable machinery for direct involvement in rural development.

• The Balwantrai Mehta Committee (set up to study Community Development Projects and National Extension Service) diagnosed the fundamental ill as absence of people’s participation.

• A half-hearted three-tier Panchayati Raj system was initiated in Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh, but lacked political will and faced reluctance from common people.

• Early Panchayati Raj institutions became ceremonial, dominated by the rural elite, failing to achieve intended goals.

• In 1977, the Ashok Mehta Committee attempted to revitalize Panchayati Raj, but its recommendations were cosmetic and created more confusion in structure and functioning.

• The Seventy-third (1993) and Seventy-fourth Constitutional Amendments revitalized rural and urban local self-government.

• Seventy-third Amendment:

  • Provided constitutional status to Panchayati Raj institutions

  • Defined structure, powers, and functions

• Seventy-fourth Amendment:

  • Addressed municipal government

  • Laid down structure, composition, reservation, elections, powers, functions, and finances

• Key contributions of the two amendments:

  • Afforded constitutional status to local self-government

  • Defined core issues affecting survival and effectiveness:

    • Lack of regular elections

    • Undefined sphere of powers and functions

    • Lack of finances to implement decisions

• Created Part IX (Panchayati Raj) and Part IX-A (urban local bodies) in the Constitution.

• Introduced Schedule XI and Schedule XII to enumerate functions of rural and urban local bodies.

• Ensured functional clarity and viable governance space for local self-government institutions.