Decentralised Governance in India : Myth and Reality
Contents: Preface. Introduction. I. The conceptual dimensions: 1. Panchayati Raj: Gandhian perspective/Ramashray Roy. 2. Democratic decentralisation and the Panchayati Raj in India: the Gandhian paradigm/Saroj Malik. 3. Panchayati Raj: a conceptual analysis/Brahmananda Satapathy. 4. Genesis and development of the concept of Gram Sabha/Surat Singh. 5. Conceptualization and operationalisation of Panchayati Raj System: some observations/S. Kaushil. 6. Behavioural aspects of empowerment/Rajbir Singh. 7. Community development, decentralization and Panchayati Raj/Swati Jha. 8. Genesis and development of the concept of Panchayati Raj/Ranbir Singh. II. The national dimensions: 9. Community development and Panchayati Raj/R.P. Kapoor. 10. Looking beyond despair, reinterpreting the 73 (Amendment) Act/Girish Kumar. 11. Devolution or delusion: an evaluation of the status of the Panchayati Raj Institutions in India/Amit Jha and Mahi Pal. 12. Working of Panchayati Raj Institutions in India: issues and challenges/Mohinder Singh. 13. The Hoax of Panchayati Raj and the dream of rural development/Shahir Hasan. 14. Decentralisation and institution building for participatory development: a review of Indian experience/S.C. Srivastava. 15. Local Government Institutions in India: new dimension and agenda for future reforms/S.S. Tiwana. 16. Panchayati Raj: some observations/Anil K. Singh. III. Women and weaker sections: 17. Women and Panchayati Raj in Haryana: a review article/Nisha Garg and Neera Verma. 18. Impact of the 73 Amendment on women Panchayati Raj Leadership in Haryana/Parmod Chand. 19. The impact of 73 amendment on women's political empowerment: a study of Punjab/Prabhjot Kaur Kahlon. 20. The empowerment of Dalits in the Panchayati Raj Institutions: the Himachal Pradesh experience/Satish K. Sharma. 21. Scheduled caste women in the PRIs: experiences and approaches for betterment/A.N. Singh and B.S. Bahmani. 22. Strategies for capacity building of women representatives in Panchayats/Neha Tyagi. IV. Capacity building: 23. Strategies for strengthening Panchayati Raj Institutions/George Mathew. 24. Strengthening Gram Sabha: a pre-condition for the success of Panchayati Raj/S.V. Saran. 25. Capacity building of Gram Panchayats for effective management of rural development/S.P. Singh. 26. Training of Panchayati Raj functionaries in Haryana/K.K. Mor. 27. Capacity building of Panchayati Raj Institutions/R.P. Singh and Nasib Singh. V. The experiences in states: 28. Working of Panchayati Raj in Rajasthan: a review/Arun Chaturvedi. 29. Panchayati Raj in Rajasthan: retrospect and prospect/Om Mahla. 30. Kerala model of decentralization: an analysis/Oommen John. 31. Functional devolution on Panchayats in Kerala/S.K. Singh. 32. Planning decentralisation: the case of Panchayats in West Bengal/D.K. Ghosh. 33. Perception of the elected representatives of PRIs on Poverty Alleviation Programmes: some lessons from Manipur/Sujit K. Dutta. 34. Impact of the 73 Amendment on the Panchayati Raj in Himachal Pradesh/Mirdula Sharda. 35. Interface between the Panchayat, health services providers and the people: a study of Himachal Pradesh/Niranjana Bhandari. 36. People's participation in Panchayats and village development committees in Himachal Pradesh/Dalip K. Gosain. 37. Devolution of powers and functions to the Panchayati Raj Institutions in Haryana/Amit Jha. 38. Working of Gram Sabha: the Haryana experience/Surat Singh. 39. Panchayats and management of common property resources in Haryana/K.K. Mor. 40. Strengthening PRIs in Haryana--a politico-legal perspective/Raj Singh and Chander Bhan. 41. Strengthening Panchayats in Haryana: challenges to be met/D.P. Singh Mor. 42. Panchayati Raj system in Haryana: an evaluation/S.S. Malik. 43. Agri-business: role of Panchayats in Haryana/Nasib Singh and R.P. Singh. 44. Development at Micro-level: the role of village development committees in Haryana. Index.
"This book fills up the gap that continues to exist in the studies on the decentralized governance despite the publication of a huge quantum of literature. As many as 44 well-researched papers presented by distinguished scholars from Universities and Research Institutions, leading activists working in the NGOs and senior bureaucrats associated with the working of the rural local self-government at a National Seminar on "Strategies for Strengthening Panchayati Raj Institutions" organized by the Haryana Institute of Rural Development, Nilokheri have been included in it. This multi-disciplinary and interdisciplinary exercise covers almost all the states of India. It is a serious attempt to explode the myth of decentralized rural governance and to present the ground realities. The authors have not only diagnosed the disease from which it suffers but have also recommended prescriptions for curing it. It is hoped that this comprehensive volume will be of great utility for those policy-makers, administrators, Panchayati Raj leaders, researchers, teachers, trainers and activists who are interested in understanding and strengthening the Panchayati Raj Institutions which constitute the base of Indian Political System." (jacket)
