The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Study finds flaws in Panchayati Raj

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Aug 16, 2007
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Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Study finds flaws in Panchayati Raj

N.J. Nair

Call to address challenges facing local bodies before executing Eleventh Plan

Poor participation in grama sabhas
Lack of awareness of local bodies’ significance

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: While local self-government institutions in the State are gearing up for the execution of Eleventh Plan projects, many of the challenges faced during the past one decade still remain unaddressed.

Poor participation in grama sabhas, lack of public awareness about the significance of local bodies, transparency in administration, lack of vision on local development and governance, etc., are some of the major issues that call for urgent attention.

According to a study, ‘Emerging issues in Panchayati Raj in Kerala,’ conducted by SDC CapDecK, Centre for Socio-economic and Environmental Studies and the Centre for Rural Management, the civic bodies should tackle such issues in order to achieve optimum results.

The study sheds light on the limitations and flaws in the Panchayati Raj system to enable meaningful interventions for rectifying the lapses.

The players of the decentralisation process do not appear to have clarity on the concept or scope of local self-government institutions. As the instrument for development is perceived as local planning, the thrust is on short-term development projects with more tangible results than comprehensive and sustainable long-term ones.

Local bodies are considered as another department or arm of the Government.

While public participation is confined to planning, implementation and monitoring of Plan projects, non-Plan expenditures, which cover the creation and maintenance of capital assets, never get due attention. Hence, the study calls for a community-based monitoring system to cover all activities of the local bodies.

The poor participation in grama sabhas and its failure to play a creative role is a matter of concern.

Attending grama sabhas has never been a priority of the middle and upper classes, the younger generation and the intelligentsia. Grama sabhas are being treated as a forum for wresting benefits. Such meetings became ritualistic.

Many elected representatives tend to ignore the suggestions evolved there and in development seminars and try to enforce their decisions.

Some of them even think that decentralisation of powers means ‘power up to elected representatives’ only. The grama sabhas have to ensure transparency in the functioning of the panchayat and facilitate continuous social audit.

The Kerala Panchayat Raj Act envisages the need to prepare a citizen’s charter and it annual revision. Many panchayats do not attempt to frame a charter and even where it has been prepared, the services do not measure up to the standards mentioned in it.

Though the steering and standing committees in local bodies have well-defined roles, majority of them have failed to perform their assigned roles. The functioning of the committees demands greater attention.

In spite of such problems, the local bodies can be further strengthened into organs of good governance at the grassroots by taking effective remedial measures. Streamlining the accounting system, merger of the District Rural Development Agencies with the district panchayats are some of the laudable efforts made by the Government for improving the functioning of the local bodies.

The study calls for a determined action to plug the loopholes to make the decentralisation of powers a meaningful process.

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