Rural and Urban Government

Contents: Preface. 1. Rural Government--Gram Sabha. 2. Function of Panchayats. 3. State local government. 4. History of urban local government. 5. Urbanisation process. 6. Urbanisation--Indian scenario. 7. 73rd Constitutional Amendment. 8. 74th Constitutional Amendment. 9. Panchayati Raj Institutions. 10. Control mechanism of agencies. Index.

"India is so often referred to as the land of villages that the urban dimension of its population is generally overlooked. Yet the fact is that India is getting urbanized very rapidly. In 1901, eleven per cent of India\'s population was living in urban areas, confirming that India was predominantly rural. For the first time the census of 1941, made a startling disclosure that the country was in for massive urbanisation in years immediately ahead. And this did happen. In 1951, more than 17 per cent of the population was found living in cities and towns. From now on, India was getting rapidly urbanised and according to the 1991, census, more than 25 per cent of the population was urban. In absolute terms, over 22 crore people are living in cities and towns whose number stands at 4500.

Urbanisation is characterised by movement of people from rural communities concerned chiefly or solely with agriculture (rural communities) to other communities where activities are primarily centred in management, trade, manufacture or allied interests (urban communities). In short, urbanisation is a multifaceted phenomenon--a process which reveals itself through temporal, spacial and sectoral and sectoral changes in the demographic, socio-economic, technological and environmental aspects of life in a give society." (jacket)