The Panchayati Raj and the Challenges of Rural Social Transformation

The Panchayati Raj and the Challenges of Rural Social Transformation

The term Panchayati Raj literally means ‘governance by five individuals’. At its heart is the idea of building a functioning, vibrant democracy at the village or grass-roots level. This is not a foreign concept to India — village-level self-governance has existed in various forms for centuries. However, Indian society is marked by sharp inequalities of gender, caste, and class. These inequalities make genuine democratic participation very difficult.

Traditionally, villages have had caste panchayats. But these have usually been dominated by the powerful, landowning groups. They have often held conservative views and taken decisions that go against democratic norms and procedures — a pattern that continues even today.

The Long Road to Constitutional Recognition

When the Constitution was being drafted, panchayats did not find a mention in it. Many members of the Constituent Assembly expressed sorrow, anger, and disappointment over this omission. Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, drawing on his own rural experience, argued that local elites and upper castes were so deeply entrenched in village society that local self-government would only mean a continuation of the exploitation of the downtrodden. The upper castes, he feared, would only silence the weaker sections further.

Mahatma Gandhi, on the other hand, was deeply committed to the idea of local self-government. He envisioned each village as a self-sufficient unit conducting its own affairs, and saw gram-swarajya (village self-rule) as an ideal model to be continued after independence.

It was only in 1992 that grass-roots democracy, or decentralised governance, was finally ushered in by the 73rd Constitutional Amendment. This act gave constitutional status to the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs). It is now compulsory for local self-government bodies in rural and municipal areas to be elected every five years. More importantly, control over local resources was given to these elected local bodies.

The Three-Tier System of Panchayati Raj

The 73rd Amendment provided a three-tier system of Panchayati Raj for all states with a population of over twenty lakhs. The structure is like a pyramid.

• At the base is the Gram Sabha, the unit of democracy. It consists of the entire body of citizens in a village or grama. This general body elects the local government and charges it with specific responsibilities. The Gram Sabha ideally ought to provide an open forum for discussions and village-level development activities, and it plays a crucial role in ensuring the inclusion of weaker sections in decision-making.
• The 73rd Amendment made it mandatory that elections to these bodies be conducted every five years.
• It provided reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and thirty-three percent of seats for women.
• It constituted a District Planning Committee to prepare drafts and develop plans for the district as a whole.

Reservation for Women: A Historic Step

The 73rd and 74th amendments ensured the reservation of one-third of the total seats for women in all elected offices of local bodies, both rural and urban. Out of this, seventeen percent of seats are reserved for women belonging to Scheduled Castes and Tribes. This amendment is significant because, for the first time, it brought women into elected bodies and gave them decision-making powers. One-third of the seats in local bodies — gram panchayats, village panchayats, municipalities, city corporations, and district boards — are reserved for women.

The 1993–94 elections, held soon after the 73rd amendment, brought eight hundred thousand women into the political process in a single election. That was a huge step forward in enfranchising women.

Powers and Responsibilities of Panchayats

According to the Constitution, Panchayats should be given powers and authority to function as institutions of self-government. All state governments are required to revitalise local representative institutions. The following powers and responsibilities were delegated to the Panchayats:

• To prepare plans and schemes for economic development.
• To promote schemes that will enhance social justice.
• To levy, collect, and appropriate taxes, duties, tolls, and fees.
• To help in the devolution of governmental responsibilities, especially financial ones, to local authorities.

Social welfare responsibilities include the maintenance of burning and burial grounds, recording statistics of births and deaths, establishing child welfare and maternity centres, controlling cattle pounds, propagating family planning, and promoting agricultural activities.

Development activities include the construction of roads, public buildings, wells, tanks, and schools. Panchayats also promote small cottage industries and take care of minor irrigation works. Many government schemes, like the Integrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP) and the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS), are monitored by panchayat members.

The main income of Panchayats comes from taxes levied on property, profession, animals, and vehicles, as well as a cess on land revenue and rentals. Resources are further increased by grants received through the Zilla Panchayat.

It is compulsory for panchayat offices to put up boards outside their offices listing the break-up of funds received and the utilisation of financial aid. This exercise was taken up to ensure that people at the grass-roots level have the right to information — opening all functioning to the public eye. People have the right to scrutinise the allocation of money and to ask for reasons behind decisions taken for the welfare and development of the village.

Nyaya Panchayats

In some states, Nyaya Panchayats have been constituted. They have the authority to hear petty civil and criminal cases. They can impose fines but cannot award a sentence. These village courts have often been successful in bringing about an agreement between contending parties. They have been particularly effective in punishing men who harass women for dowry and perpetrate violence against them.

Panchayati Raj in Tribal Areas

Many tribal areas have a rich tradition of grass-roots democratic functioning. For example, in Meghalaya, the three major ethnic tribal groups — the Khasis, Jaintias, and Garos — have their own traditional political institutions that have existed for hundreds of years. These institutions function at various tiers: the village level, clan level, and state level. In the traditional political system of the Khasis, each clan had its own council known as the ‘Durbar Kur’, presided over by the clan headman. …