The panchayati raj movement is in distress
The special discussion in Parliament on the 75th anniversary of the Indian Constitution has long passed. While several salient aspects of the Constitution and policy directions adopted by previous governments were highlighted, one heard very little on a vital aspect of governance in India.The 73rd amendment to the Constitution, passed in 1992, is one of the landmarks of India’s journey as a constitutional republic, establishing the panchayati raj system. However, the momentum towards deepening local governance in India has stalled. Big shifts in both technology and society are threatening to make panchayats irrelevant, unless we are prepared to rethink their role. The 73rd amendment initiated the process of institutionalising decentralisation in rural India. The three-tier system, at the v...