TOWARDS AN
EFFECTIVE
PARTICIPATORY
LOCAL SELF-
GOVERNANCE
Name: Reenu Bairagi
Class: B.A.LL.B. (Hons), IX Semester
Faculty Guide: Asst. Prof. Rewa
Gupta
Institution: Indore Institute of Law
Introduction
■ - Democracy as foundation
of Indian Constitution
■ - Local self-government:
strengthening grassroots
democracy
■ - Ensures participation of
people in decision-making
■ - Empowers rural masses to
manage their own needs
Looking Through the
Lens of History
■ - Ancient India: Vidatha,
Sabha, Samitis ensured
participation
■ - Mauryan, Gupta, Chola rule
encouraged village
autonomy
■ - Colonial period weakened
self-governance
■ - British introduced limited
local bodies (Lord Ripon’s
1882 resolution)
■ - Govt. of India Act, 1935
Ambedkar v Gandhi
■ - Gandhi:
Decentralisation, Gram
Swaraj, self-sufficient
villages
■ - Ambedkar: Villages as
'sink of localism', against
decentralisation
■ - Constituent Assembly
divided on Panchayati Raj
■ - Panchayats mentioned
in Article 40 as directive
principle
73rd Constitutional
Amendment Act, 1992
■ - Introduced Part IX and 11th
Schedule in Constitution
■ - Three-tier Panchayati Raj
system
■ - Gram Sabha as foundation
of democracy
■ - Direct elections and 5-year
term
■ - Reservation for SCs, STs,
Women (1/3rd, later 50%)
Committees on Panchayati
Institutions
■ - Balwantrai Mehta
Committee: Community
participation
■ - Ashok Mehta Committee:
Two-tier system, autonomy
■ - G.V.K. Rao Committee:
Strengthen Zila Parishad
■ - L.M. Singhvi Committee:
Constitutional status for PRIs
Challenges in Local Governa
■ - Limited autonomy in decision-
making
■ - Lack of awareness among
villagers
■ - Dependence on central/state
schemes
■ - Inadequate representation of
weaker sections
■ - Conflict between PRIs and state
governments
Towards a Sustainable
Participatory Model
■ - Empower Panchayats with law-making powers
■ - Educational qualification for Sarpanch
■ - Awareness generation via radio, NGOs
■ - Encourage decision-making and self-initiated act
■ - Ensure inclusion of disadvantaged groups
Conclusion
■ - Panchayati Raj and people’s
participation are inseparable
■ - Despite 73rd Amendment,
implementation gaps remain
■ - Need stronger devolution of power
to PRIs
■ - Awareness and empowerment key
for success
■ - Future: Panchayats as engines of
rural development
