CURRENT AFFAIRS

Description

Panchayati Raj: Present Status and Future Prospects

Brief History

In ancient India, Panchayats were usually elected councils with executive and judicial powers. The structure and functions of these local councils underwent marked changes from time to time. 

During Mughal era, Panchayats were made as ‘controlled’ local bodies, which could help them in their trading interests by collecting taxes for them. 

During British rule, various commissions, like Royal Commission, Simon Commission etc., recommended the dissemination of powers to local bodies. Nevertheless, under colonial rule local self-governments were never independent and were under the control of state authorities.

After Independence in Indian Constitution, the ‘Village Panchayats’ were placed in the Directive Principles of the State Policy (Article 40) of the Constitution and states were to endow the Panchayats with powers and authority to enable them to function as units of self-government.

The first organised effort to tackle the problem of rural governance was made through Community Development Programme in 1952, with an objective of bringing socio economic development to the rural masses on democratic lines. But the programme failed to take off along the expected lines due to the absence of an effective instrument for people’s participation.

Balwant Rai Mehta Committee (1957) recommended three-tier system of governance for Panchayats; Ashok Mehta Committee (1977) suggested the need for two-tier system at the ground level of governance; G.V.K Rao Committee (1985) advised that elections in local governments are required to be conducted regularly; and L M Singhvi committee (1986) emphasised the need for constitutional recognition of local self-government.

The 73rd Amendment to the Constitution enacted in 1992, added Part IX to the constitution. The Panchayats’ and also added-the Eleventh Schedule which consists of the 29 functional items of the Panchayats.

Provisions of 73rd amendment Act

•  Panchayati Raj System came under the purview of the justiciable part of the constitution and mandates states to adopt the system. Further it states that the election process in PRIs will be held independent of the State Government’s will. 

•  The Constitution also contains provisions for reservation of seats for women and weaker sections, regular flow of funds through State Finance Commission and periodical conduct of elections by the State Election Commission.

•  The Constitution mandates nodal role of Gram Panchayat to provide basic civil services at local level. The functions of Panchayats can be classified into three categories as shown below. 

  Mandatory Function: Provisions for operation and maintenance of civic facilities have traditionally been the key functions of local governments. The mandatory functions are those core or basic functions which a Gram Panchayats need to discharge as per the provisions of the act. The mandatory functions are mostly civic and regulatory functions. There is no other agency to perform these functions. 

  General Function: In addition to civic and regulatory functions of the Gram Panchayats, the PRIs also carry out general functions of planning, execution, and supervision of all developmental programmes. In case of Kerala, 14 general functions including awareness against social evils, relief operations, responses mobilisation, gathering of statistical data, creating legal awareness, etc. have been included. 

  Sectoral Function: The PRIs as democratically elected local governments have an important role in addressing the diverse socio-economic needs of the rural community. Functions handled by various line departments in consultation approval of Gram Panchayats are known as sectoral functions or ‘agency functions. The Constitution envisages that Panchayats will plan and implement schemes for economic development and social justice in respect of 29 subjects listed in XI Schedule.

•  Article 243D of the Constitution mandates that not less than one-third seats at all levels of Panchayats shall be reserved for women.

•  Article 243-I of the Constitution provides for creation of State Finance Commissions (SFCs) to help structure inter-governmental fiscal relations at the state level. The SFCs have the mandate to review the financial position of the Panchayats, ascertain the fiscal gaps and make suitable recommendations to the Governor for redressing the same through tax devolution and grant- in- aid from the State.

•  The Constitution has empowered the Panchayats to plan and implement schemes for economic development and social justice.

Recent Initiatives in Panchayat Governance

•  e-gramSwaraj portal: With the emphasis on the e-Governance operations, Ministry of Panchayati Raj has put in place e-GramSwaraj, a unified portal for effective monitoring and evaluation of works taken up in the Panchayats. The application improves reporting and tracking of Panchayat activities, providing a single interface for capturing Panchayat information. Further, the Ministry has put in place an ElectronicFund Management System integrating e-Gram Swaraj & PFMS (eGSPI). The eGSPI is mandated for utilisation of Central Finance Commission funds by Panchayats.

•  Spatial Development Planning: ‘Gram Manchitra’, a unified Geospatial platform, launched in 2019, helps in visualising various developmental works to be taken up across the 29 sectors and provide a decision support system to Panchayats during planning process.

•  Online Audit of Panchayat Accounts: Audit-Online facilitates the online auditing of accounts but also provisions for maintaining audit records that have been carried out. This application seeks to streamline the process for audit inquiries, draft local audit reports, draft audit Paras, etc. Gram Panchayats audits will be done Online. These steps coupled with Social Audit will further strengthen the financial management system of the Panchayats. three components: (a) Localising the SDGs targets up to village level (b) Mapping of SDGs to the Functional Domain Panchayats and (c) Strengthening Partnerships for achieving SDGs.

•  Citizen Charters for Panchayats: The Ministry of Panchayati Raj has launched a nation-wide campaign namely, ‘Meri Panchayat, Mera Adhikaar- Jan Sevaayein Hamaare Dwaar’ from 1st JuIy to 15th August 2021, and Gram Panchayats across the country prepared and published Panchayat Citizen Charter. The basic objective of Panchayat Citizens’ Charter is to empower the citizens in relation to public services and improve service quality on the lines of citizen’s expectations.

Challenges and Way forward

There are several challenges in functioning of Panchayati Raj Instituions. In order to make the decentralised local self-government more meaningful, states need to be persuaded to devolve functions, funds and functionaries to strengthen the Panchayati Raj system in respective states. The Institutional structures like the District Planning Committees created to expedite decentralised planning, need to be made functional. People’s participation in Gram Sabha is very poor in most of the States. Strengthening of Gram Sabha and Standing Committees will ensure better participation of public in decision making at Panchayats. 

The parallel structures or units created by Central and State Governments for implementing specific projects on education, health, etc. need to work under PRIs and convergence need to be ensured, to avoid duplication of activities in villages. 

Own Source Revenue (OSR) of Gram Panchayats provide long-term sustainability to public services. There is a need for a change in the mind set, some amount of persuasion and awareness creation on the importance of raising OSR, among the Panchayats.