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POLITICAL SCIENCE PROJECT
ON
LOCAL SELF GOVERNMENT- A CRITICAL
ANALYSIS

SUBMITTED TO: DR. B. K. MAHAKUL
SUBMITTED BY: AYUSHI DWIVEDI
SEMESTER III, ROLL NUMBER: 47
B.A.LL.B. (Hons.)

PAPER: INDIAN POLITICAL SYSTEM


HIDAYATULLAH NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY, RAIPUR

DATE OF SUBMISSION: 02.09.14
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I feel highly elated to work on the topic LOCAL SELF GOVERNMENT- A CRITICAL
ANALYSIS because it has significant importance in the study of Indian Political System. The
practical realization of this project has obligated the assistance of many persons. I would like to
thank our faculty especially Dr. B. K. Mahakul that he gave me opportunity to do work on this
project and for her valuable guidance and support.
I would like to thank my family and friends without whose kind support and encouragement, this
project would not have been a success. I would also like to thank the university and the vice
chancellor for providing extensive database resources in the library and through internet.
I would be grateful to receive comments and suggestions for further improvement of this project
report.

Thanking you!
Ayushi Dwivedi
Sem III
Roll No: 47
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CONTENT

OBJECTIVES.4
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY...4
OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE...5
INTRODUCTION..6
PANCHAYTI RAJ SYSTEM: A HISTORICAL
ANALYSIS.7-10
KEY FEATURES OF THE 73
rd
AMENDMENT
ACT....11-12
THE THREE TIER SYSTEM AND
FUNCTIONS..13-14
CENTRALITY OF PANCHAYATI RAJ..15-16
GRAM SABHA......17-18
PROBLEMS AND CHALLENGES....19
CONCLUSION20
REFERENCES.21








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OBJECTIVES

To look into the evolution of the Panchayati raj system in India,
To examine the salient features of the 73
rd
Constitutional Amendment,
To discuss the status of functions and funds to the local self governments,
To review the functioning of different organs of the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs); and
To analyze deficiencies of the Panchayati Raj Institutions.


RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This research is doctrinal and descriptive in nature. Secondary and electronic resources have
been used to gather information and data about this topic. Books and other references as guided
by the faculty have been primarily helpful in giving the project a firm structure. Websites,
dictionaries and articles have also been referred to.








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OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE

Many articles have been used to give this topic a practical face. "Panchayati Raj: The way
Forward" by Mani Shankar Aiyer, "Panchayati Raj in India" by R.S. Dhaka Devas, and et.al,
Urban Governance, Voice and Poverty in the Development World by Devas, all talk about the
basic idea of Local Self Governments in India and how they function in order to maintain proper
administration.
Books like Introduction to Panchayati Raj and Community Development in India by HH Das,
Soul and Structure of Governance in India by PV Narsimha Rao and Panchayati Raj and
Weaker Sections by U Gurumurthy all have laid down the basic functions and provisions
relating to the functioning of local self governments in India and what are the upcoming
challenges and problems in this concern.









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I.INTRODUCTION

Decentralization has been a major feature of the development landscape since the mid-1980s
(Devas and others, 2004). The local-self governments (panchayats and municipalities) in both
rural and urban areas are the best instruments of democratic decentralization in India. The
'panchayat' in rural India and municipalities in urban India are defined in the constitution as
institutions of local-self government. The popular saying of panch-parmeshwar (five people are
god) or 'panch-pradhan' (five people are head) from the ancient times connotes that the
'panchayat' had deep roots in the Indian culture. After the 73rd Amendment to the Indian
Constitution, 'Panchayati Raj System' has occupied a pivotal place in the Indian democratic
system. With this epoch making amendment, the local governments have become the third tier in
our federal system after the Union and the States. But ironically, the review of literature reveals
that after more than a decade of passing of the historic constitutional amendments of 1992, the
local governments have not been institutionalized in many states
1
. Their levels of functioning
varies from state to state and in many states the devolution of functions, functionaries and funds
to the local governments have not been taking place as envisaged in the Part IX and IXA of the
Constitution. This project critically examines different facets of these issues with special
reference to the panchayati raj system in India.







1
Dhaka, R.S, "Panchayati Raj in India", Indian Journal of Public Administration, Vol. XLII, April-June, 1996.

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II. Panchayati Raj System: A Historical Analysis
II.1 Panchayats in Ancient Times
The panchayats in India have the distinction of a protracted history, before earning a coveted
place in the Indian Constitution. A reference to an organized system of rural local self-
government (panchayat) was found in ancient Vedic literature. Rig Veda has mentioned about
'gramini', the village head employed by the king for civil and military purposes; while Atharva
Veda envisaged the institution of 'sabha', 'samiti', 'sabhapati' and 'sabhasad' primarily performing
judicial functions. Kautaliya's Artha Shastra gives a comprehensive account of the system of
village administration prevailing in ancient India. Besides, evidence of the village panchayats is
also discerned in the Maurya and Chola dynasties and during the golden era of the Guptas.
2

II.2 Panchayati Raj System during Medieval and British Period
The medieval period was the uneventful period in the history of panchayat system in India.The
system was largely ineffective during Mughal rule in India because of Shariat laws. Except
Akbar, no other Mughal ruler assigned importance to the panchayats. However, the British rulers
were well cognizant about the role played by self-governing communities at the village level. Sir
Charles Metcaffe, a British governor in India during 1852 called panchayat as "the little
republic", but with some reservations because a caste ridden feudal system with power
concentrated in the hands of a few landlords would foil the sole mission of decentralization. This
is amply reflected in the East Indian Company Resolution of 1865 which said:
"The people of this country are perfectly capable of administering their local affairs. The
municipal feeling is deeply mooted in them. The village communities are the most abiding of
Indian institutions. They maintained the framework of society while successive swarms of
invaders swept over the country."
3

The initiative taken by the Viceroy, Lord Mayo, in 1870 through a resolution for decentralization
of power was aimed at improving administrative efficiency. The Royal Commission on

2
Das, HH, Introduction to Panchayati Raj and Community Development in India,
Kalyani Publishers, 1990
3
Das, HH, Introduction to Panchayati Raj and Community Development in India, Kalyani
Publishers, 1990.
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Decentralization in 1907, recognized the importance of the panchayats at the village level and a
few subsequent initiatives focused on decentralization during British Raj are Montegue
Chelmford Act, 1919; the Simon Commission report 1925 and Government of India Act, 1935.
With these initiatives, by 1925 eight provinces had passed Panchayat Acts and by 1926 six
Indian princely states also passed panchayat laws. By 1948, 20 other native states had Village
Panchayat Acts.
4

II.3 Panchayti Raj System after Independence

After independence, the process of empowering Panchayats gathered momentum. Mahatma
Gandhi, the father of the nation, while emphasizing on 'Gram Swaraj'(village autonomy) strongly
advocated that:

"Independence must begin at the bottom. Thus every village will be a republic of panchayat
having full power."
5


The spirit and importance of panchayati raj system found place in Article 40 of the Directive
Principles of State Policy of the Constitution of India, which says:

"The state shall take steps to organize village panchayats and endow them with such powers and
authority as may be necessary to enable them to function as units of self government."

Pandit Jawaherlal Nehru the first Prime Minister of India, considered panchayats as an important
socio-economic and political institution at the village level. While inaugurating the Panchayati
Raj in Rajasthan in 1959, he underlined the importance of people taking responsibilities as:

"to uplift millions of villages is not an ordinary task, the reason for the slow progress is our
dependence on official machinery. An officer is probably necessary because he is an
expert. But this can be done only if the people take up the responsibility in their own hands. The
people are not merely to be consulted, but effective power has to be entrusted to them."
6


4
A Quarterly of local Self Government Institute, Bombay No. 128, PP. 452-53
5
Mahatma Gandhi's statement was quoted from Harijan, January 18, 1948
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COMMITTEES: The First Five Year Plan also recognized the need for disaggregated
planning through a process of democratic decentralization incorporating the idea of a village
plan and a district development council. The Government of India constituted several
committees at different points of time to strengthen the local self-government institutions.
The first one was the Balwantray Mehta Committee constituted in 1957. The committee
recommended the urgency of democratic and elected institutions at the lowest level and
suggested a three-tier system at the district, intermediate and village levels. K Santham
Committee constituted in 1959, in its report in 1965, recommended setting up of a Panchayati
Raj Finance Corporation and district election commissions. Ashok Mehta Committee (1977)
recommended a two-tier set-up at district and village level. The Sarkaria Commission on
Centre-State relations appointed in 1983 recommended in its report that the objectives of
decentralized planning cannot be achieved unless the Panchayati Raj and other local bodies
are allowed to perform their assigned role. Instead of playing their role, ironically, these
institutions have been allowed to stagnate. Elections to these bodies have not been held
regularly and often they remain superseded for a long period. The Sarkaria Commission
recommended that it was necessary to hold elections regularly and adequate funds devolved
to these institutions. The GVK Rao committee, 1985, emphasized the need for regular
elections to the PRIs. A committee headed by PK Thungon, 1986 recommended that
panchayati raj bodies should be constitutionally recognized, should have provision for timely
and regular elections and their term should be five years. While 4the LM Singhvi Committee
of 1987 recommended that the PRIs should get constitutional safeguards and financial
resources should be devolved to them.
Taking into consideration all these recommendations and success of West Bengal, Karnataka and
Andhra Pradesh experiment and the prevailing mood for decentralization, Prime Minister Rajiv
Gandhi introduced the 64th Constitutional Amendment Bill in 1989, which was passed by the
Lok Sabha, but failed to get the concurrences of the Rajya Sabha. Later, a cabinet committee
was constituted to look into the contents of the Panchayati Raj Bill of 1989 afresh and a
comprehensive amendment was introduced in the form of the Constitution 73rd Amendment Bill
in 1992 during the Prime Ministership of P V Narasimha Rao, which was passed by both the

6
Gurumurthy, U, Panchayati Raj and Weaker Sections. Ashish Publishing House, New Delhi, 1987.
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Houses of Parliament and came into effect on April 24, 1993. Shortly after the aforesaid
amendment, in his letter of May 5,1993 to panches and sarpanches, he had mentioned:
"Democracy and devolution of powers to panchayats have now become part of the most sacred
document of this nation: the Constitution of India. No one can now snatch democratic practices
from your panchayat. The Constitutional changes will prove to be a major landmark in the
history of development of rural areas of this country. They will be vibrant institutions performing
necessary development, regulatory and general administrative functions,"
7

II.4 Panchayati Raj System after 73rd Amendment
The 73rd amendment of the Constitution is an epoch making event in the history of democratic
decentralization in India. While introducing the constitutional amendment bill in Parliament on
December 1, 1992, the then Cabinet Minister of Rural Development observed:
"This casts a duty on the centre as well as the states to establish and nourish the village
panchayats so as to make them effective self-governing institutions and by introducing this Act,
the Government was fulfilling Mahatma Gandhi's dream of Gram Swaraj."
8

With 496 panchayats at the district level, known as Zilla Parishads; 5905 at the intermediate
level, known as Block Samitis/Panchayat Samitis; and 230762, at the village level known as
Village Panchayat, India today has the world's largest functioning democracy at the grassroots.
These elected democratic institutions are manned by 3.4 million elected representatives,
including more than one million women; .36 million Scheduled Castes and .26 million
Scheduled Tribes (Kurukshetra, 2002).
In conformity with the Constitutional Amendment all the states have amended their state Acts or
passed new acts repealing the then existing ones. Today the PRIs are the bedrock of effective
implementation of India's rural development and poverty alleviation 5programmes. It is true that,
if effectively empowered, the PRIs have the potential to build a progressive India (which
veritably lives in its villages) in harmony with the felt needs and aspirations of the people.
9


7
Jagmohan's book Soul and Structure of Governance in India, Allied Publisher, New Delhi, 2005
8
BN Ahuja and SS Chhabra's book on Panchayati Raj, Surjeet Publications, 1993.
9
Dhaka, R.S, "Panchayati Raj Institutions in Haryana: A field study", Kurukshetra, January, 2002.
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III. KEY FEATURES OF THE 73
rd
AMENDMENT ACT

S. No Key Features
Provision in the Act
1. Three Tier Structure Article 243-B,Gram Panchayat at Village level,
Intermediate Panchayat at Block Level and District
Panchayat at the District Level
2. Elections at every five
years
Article 243-E, every Panchayat shall continue for five
years from the date appointed for its first meeting and no
longer.
3. Reservation of seats for
Scheduled Castes and
Scheduled Tribes
Article 243-D, reservation of seats for the Scheduled
Castes Scheduled Tribes in proportion to their population
for membership of panchayats.
4. Reservation of seats for
women
Article 243-D (3), provides that not less than one third
(including the number of seats reserved for women
belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes) of
the total number of seats to be filled up by direct election
in every panchayat shall be allotted by rotation to different
constituencies in a panchayat.
5. Establishment of State
finance Commissions
Article 243-I provides for constitution of State Finance
Commission to review financial position of the PRIs and
to make recommendations to the Governor and
distribution between the state and the PRIs of the net
proceeds of the taxes, duties, tolls and fees leviable by the
state.
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6. Establishment of State
Commission
Article 243-K, provides for the establishment of State
Election Commission. The superintendence, direction and
control of the preparation of electoral rolls for and the
conduct of all elections to the panchayats shall be vested
inthe State Election Commission.
7. Establishment of District
Planning Committee
(DPCs)
Article 243ZD provides for the constitution of DPCs to
consolidate the development plans prepared by the gram
panchayat.
8. 29 duties and
responsibilities
Article 243 (G), made addition of Eleventh Schedule and
assigning duties and responsibilities on 29 subjects.
9. Establishment of Gram
Sabha
Article 243, provides for gram sabha to exercise such
powers and perform such functions at the village level as
the legislature of a State may by law provides.











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IV. THE THREE-TIER SYSTEM AND FUNCTIONS
The 3-tier system of Panchayati Raj consists:
1. Village-level Panchayats
2. Block-level Panchayats
3. District-level Panchayats.
1. The Gram Panchayat: The first formal democratic institution under the directive
principle in the Indian constitution is the Gram Panchayat or Panchayat. It is the primary unit of
local self-government. Panchayat is a cabinet of the village elders, directly elected by the adult
citizens of the village.
Gram Panchayats are constituted considering their income, population and area. The income
varies from mere Rs.500/- kper annum to more than Rs.2.00 lakhs. The population varies from
500 to 25,000. The panchayat membership varies from 5 to 17. There is provision for reservation
of seats for women and SC and STs. The panchayat has a tenure of five years and is directly
elected. The meeting is to be convened atleast once in six months. It has income through taxes to
perform its functions.
Functions:
(i) Representative function, where the main role is to voice and represent the opinion;
(ii) Regulatory and administrative functions, which consists of regulating the conduct of
indivuduals and institutions and also collection of taxes;
(iii) Service or developmental function, such as promotion of education, health, agriculture, etc.
10. Block panchayat
A block panchayat is a local government body at the tehsil or taluka level in India. This body
works for the villages of the tehsil or taluka that together are called a Development Block. The
panchayat samiti is the link between the gram panchayat and the district administration. There
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are a number of variations of this institution in different states. It is known as Mandal Praja
Parishad in Andhra Pradesh, Taluka panchayat in Gujarat, Mandal Panchayat in Karnataka,
Panchayat Samiti in Maharashtra etc. In general, the block panchayat is a form of the Panchayati
raj but at a higher level.
Functions:
1. Implementation schemes for the development of agriculture.
2. Establishment of primary health centres and primary schools.
3. Supply of drinking water, drainage and construction/repair of roads.
4. Development of cottage and small-scale industries, and the opening of cooperative societies.
5. Establishment of youth organisations.
3. District level panchayat
The governing system at district level in Panchayat Raj is also popularly known as "Zila
Parishad". Chief of administration is an officer from IAS cadre.
Functions:
1. Provide essential services and facilities to the rural population.
2. Supply improved seeds to farmers. Inform them of new farming techniques
3. Set up and run schools and libraries in the rural areas and construct roads, bridges, etc.
4. Start Primary Health Centers and hospitals in villages. Start vaccination drives against
epidemics
5. Execute plans for the development of the scheduled castes and tribes. Run ashramshalas for
adivasi children. Set up free hostels for them
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V.Centrality of Panchayati Raj Institutions
In various Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSSs) and Additional Central Assistance (ACAs)
the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRI's) have been given centrality.

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA)
10

Under Section 13 of the Act ,[5] Panchayats at district, intermediate and village levels are the
principal authorities for planning and implementation of MGNREGA . and at least 50 per cent
of MGNREGA funds are to be spent by the Gram Panchayats (GPs). For this the Gram Sabhas
(GSs) has to recommend special projects to the GPs and conduct social audit of MGNREGA
works. Also the District Programme Coordinators and Programme Officers are to assist District
and Intermediate Panchayats respectively in discharge of their functions.
Saakshar Bharat Mission(SBM)
The SBM launched in 2009 , is a programme aimed at creating a Literate Society through a
variety of teaching learning programmes for non-literate and neo-literate of 15 years and above
11
.
The SBM is envisaged to involve community PRI's and women self-help groups in its
endeavour. Around 495 blocks with 7,739 panchayats will be covered under the mission.Each
panchayat would have a Lok Shiksha Kendra
National Rural Drinking Water Programme(NRDWP)
The Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation has revised the
12
NRDWP guidelines under
which, from 201112, in the inter-State allocation criteria, 10% scheme funds have been linked
to States performance on a Management Devolution Index (MDI) which measures the extent to
which a State has decentralized the management of the programme.


10
http://nrega.nic.com
11
http://mhrd.gov.in/saakar_bharat
12
htto://www.mdws.gov.in
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Funds from Central Government
The national level plan for improving the functioning of Panchayati Raj Institutions(PRIs) is
chalked out in the Roadmap for Panchayati Raj (2011-2017). The national roadmap is enabled
and assisted by the Central Government by the provision of funds under several schemes, to
name few
Backward Regions Grant Fund (BRGF): Provides untied grants to the Panchayats in the
backward regions in order to reduce development deficits of the country, with the
requirement that the District Plans for utilization of the grant be prepared by the involvement
of the Gram Sabhas.
13

Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Yojana (RGSY): Aims at capacity building and training of the
elected representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions as well as the Functionaries.Funds are
released to States uncovered by the BRGF.
14

Panchayat Mahila`Evam Yuva Shakti Abhiyan Aims to enable women and youth Panchayat
leaders to come together to articulate their problems as women Panchayat Leaders.
Government of India formulated e-Panchayat Mission Mode Project(MMP) for e-enablement
of all the Panchayats , to make their functioning more efficient and transparent. Under the e-
PanchayaMMP, 11 Core Common Software applications were planned.

Reservation for women in PRIs in India
The Union Cabinet of the Government of India, on 27 August 2009, approved 50% reservation
for women in PRIs (Panchayati Raj NIJO Institutions). The Indian states which have already
implemented 50% reservation for women in PRIs are Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Uttarakhand and
Himachal Pradesh.[10] As of 25 November 2011, the states of Andhra Pradesh, Chhatisgarh,
Jharkhand, Kerala, Maharastra, Orissa, Rajasthan and Tripura also reserve 50% of their posts for
women.


13
http://www.nird.org.in
14
http://tnrd.gov.in/
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VI. GRAM SABHA
The Ashok Mehta Committee (1978), while affirming the role of the gram sabha said:
"The gram sabha has an important role in activating the democratic process at the grassroot level,
in inculcating community spirit, in increasing political awareness, in strengthening development
orientation, in educating and in enabling the weaker sections to progressively assert their
viewpoint"
The year 1999-2000 was declared as the "Year of Gram Sabha" by the then Finance Minister in
his budget speech
15
. The gram sabha is a key institution and has been assigned a basic role in the
73rd constitutional amendment. Article 243A of the Indian constitution states "The Gram Sabha
may exercise such powers and perform such functions at the village level as the legislative
assembly of the state may by law, provide". While Article 243 (B) states that: "Gram sabha
means a body consisting of persons registered in the electoral roll relating to a village comprised
within the area of panchayat".
VI.1 Functions of Gram Sabha
(i) To approve annual budget, plan development programmes, review annual statement of
accounts and progress report;
(ii) To identify beneficiaries for the implementation of development schemes pertaining to the
village; provided that in case the gram sabha fails to identify the beneficiaries within a
reasonable time, the gram panchayat shall identify the beneficiaries
16
.
(iii) To mobilize voluntary labour and contributions in kind or cash or both for the community
welfare programme
17
;
(iv) To promote the programme of adult education and family welfare within the village;
(v) To promote unity and harmony among all sections of society in the village;

15
Patnaik, SK, "More powers to Panchayati Raj Institutions: A overview ", Kurukshetra, September, 2003
16
Pai, S, "Panchayati Raj and Rural Governance, Experience of a Decade", Economic and Political Weekly,Jan. 10,
2004
17
Joseph, SK and John, MS "the Gram Sabha Experience of Tamil Nadu: The Difficult Road Ahead", Journal of
Rural Development, Vol. 20 (2) 2001.
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VI.2 Relevance of Gram Sabha
Although experience of the working of gram sabhas in different states, does not provide a
promising picture, it cannot be denied that the institution has the potential to serve as a strong
forum for participatory democracy, provided it is suitably armed with necessary powers and
functions
18
. Jaya Prakash Narain, one of the strong proponents of decentralized democracy was
of the opinion that:
"The gram sabha signifies village democracy. Let us not have only representative government
from the village up to Delhi. At one place, at least let there be direct government and direct
democracy. The relationship between panchayat and gram sabha should be that of cabinet and
assembly"
19
.
VI.3 Deficiencies
(a) Lack of community awareness regarding the duties and responsibilities of the gram sabha.
(b) The 'gram sabha' takes place occasionally only during the selection of beneficiaries of
different welfare schemes or on availability of grants from the government
20
.
(c) The participation of members of gram sabha particularly women and youths is usually low.







18
Jain, SP, Community development and Panchayati Raj in India, Allied Publisher, Bombay, 1967.
19
Jain SP, "The Gram Sabha : Gateway to Grass roots Democracy", Journal of Rural Development, Vol. 16(4), 1997
20
Dhaka, R.S, "Panchayati Raj Institutions in Haryana: A field study", Kurukshetra, January, 2002.
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VII.PROBLEMS AND CHALLENGES
PROBLEMS
Lack of coordination between the rural PRIs and urban local bodies: Article 243 ZD of the
Constitution provides that the municipal bodies are expected to coordinate and work in
tandem with other institutions of self-government, but this doesnt happen practically.
Weak social auditing
Politicization of PRIs: Many sarpanches contest elections under the patronage of national and
regional politicalparties, as it facilitates their political advancement. This has promoted the
use of moneyand muscle power and even communal clashes have taken place in panchayat
elections.Politicization of the panchayats is also responsible for the dismal functioning of
gram sabhas.
Centralization of power in the hands of sarpanches: Centralization of power in the hands of
sarpanches dilutes the objective of deconcentration of power.
Growth of parallel bodies: Water user groups, joint forest management committees and
expert committees are a few examples of the working of parallel institutions in different
states.
There were cases which utilised directly the services of block level technical staff without
involving the non-official.
Frequent transfer of staff gave poor image to the bodies.
Failure to mobilise resources to the extent necessary
CHALLENGES
In all our debate on federalism over the past 50 years, the most neglected aspect is local self-
governance. There cannot be true federalism without the local people having near-complete
control over their destinies through their elected governments or empowered stake-holders
groups over all matters of day-to-day concern to them. The local bureaucracy must be totally
responsible to the local elected governments alone. The much-talked-about 73rd and 74th
Amendments to the Constitution of India are but very hesitant initial steps in the direction of true
democratization of our polity, which is another big challenge.
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VIII. CONCLUSION
All successful plural democracies followed this route of true federalism and local self-
governance. The examples of the United States, Germany, and Australia, among others,
demonstrate the need for peoples empowerment and decentralised governance. From the
foregoing, major reforms are critical for the future of Indian democracy.
Genuine local governments with an inviolable and clearly defined legislative and executive
jurisdiction, effective control of local bureaucracy and adequate and non-discretionary fiscal
devolution, and direct empowerment of stake-holders over local institutions and public services
these are among the major initiatives needed to correct the serious distortions and imbalances in
our plural democracy. Our state structure today has become an obstacle to such empowerment of
people, and creation of a true democracy in which freedom is enlarged, self-governance is real
and meaningful, empowerment is genuine, rule of law is possible, and above all self-correcting
mechanisms for governance are available
Hence, though there are many challenges and problems, local self governments are one of the
most important tools for an effective administration and governance in India. If these challenges
are faced properly and problems are solved, their functioning will become better and smoother.









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IX.REFERENCES
I. ARTICLES
Aiyar, ManiShankar, "Panchayati Raj: The way Forward", Economic and Political Weekly,
August 3, 2004.
Devas, and et.al, Urban Governance, Voice and Poverty in the Development World,
Earthscan, London,2004.
Dhaka, R.S, "Panchayati Raj in India", Indian Journal of Public Administration, Vol. XLII,
April-June,1996.
Jain SP, "The Gram Sabha : Gateway to Grass roots Democracy", Journal of Rural
Development, Vol. 16(4), 1997.
II.BOOKS
Ahuja, B.N. and Chhabra, S.S, Panchayati Raj, Surjeet Publications, 1993.
Das, H.H, Introduction to Panchayati Raj and Community Development in India, Kalyani
Publishers, 1990.
Gurumurthy, U, Panchayati Raj and Weaker Sections. Ashish Publishing House, New Delhi,
1987.
III.REPORTS
Government of India, Report of the Committee on Panchayati Raj Institutions, Government
of India, Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, New Delhi, 1978.
IV.WEBSITES
www.preservearticles.com
www.wowessays.com
www.bookrags.com
www.jstor.org