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Concept of Loca-WPS Office
Concept of Loca-WPS Office
Concept of Loca-WPS Office
The governing structure in India is made up of three tiers – the central government, the state
government, and the local self-government. The local self-government is made up of
democratically elected representatives of the local people.
In the rural areas, that is, in villages, Zila Parishad, block samitis, and panchayats carry out the
functions of local self-governance.
Local self-government is a form of democratic governance where the participation of even the
grass root level of society is encouraged and included.
Elected local self-government bodies came into existence after 1882, when Lord Rippon, the
father of local self-government, took the initiative to create these bodies. At that time, these
were known as local boards.
After the Government of India Act in 1919, village panchayats were firmly established in several
provinces. While Rippon is widely known as the father of local self-government, Mahatma
Gandhi is also a key player in decentralising political and economic power at the grassroots
levels. Gandhi supported the strengthening of village panchayats and ensured the involvement
of local self-governments in all developmental initiatives.
With the passing of the 73rd and 74th Constitutional amendments, it became mandatory for
every state to have rural and urban local self-governments in place and the mechanisms to fund
these bodies. It also became compulsory that these bodies carry out elections every five years.
With the creation of this local governance, rural and urban local bodies were given the
constitutional status that ensured uniformity in their functioning and structure across India.
At present, there are over 250,000 local self-government bodies across the country, with over
3.1 million elected representatives. Out of this, 1.3 million representatives are women.
Municipal corporations (Mahanagar Palikas) in areas that have a population of over a million
Municipalities or Municipal Councils (Nagar Palikas) for areas with less than one million
population
Nagar Panchayats or Town Councils for areas in the middle of transitioning from rural to urban
In the case of panchayats, the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) structure remains the same
across India. Only India’s tribal and scheduled areas are exempted from this system of
governance. A village must have a population of at least 500 people to have a Gram Panchayat.
The panchayat members are elected directly by the villagers, also for a term of five years.
To build basic infrastructure like transport, roads, power lines, schools, hospitals, etc
To construct and maintain community assets
To promote education
The local government bodies are also responsible for implementing a wide variety of schemes
that the state government comes up with to develop rural and urban areas.
In order to help local bodies understand how best to govern, the India Institute of Local Self
Government was established in 1926. The institute acts as the perfect guide to all the urban
local bodies and spreads awareness about urban education, capacity building, and governance.
All India Institute of Local Self Government helps the local government bodies upgrade their
skills and knowledge for carrying out effective administration. They also ensure the proper
implementation of various development programmes.
Conclusion
The Indian Constitution divides our governing system into three tiers, with local self-government
taking care of the grassroots level. The local self-government falls under the state government’s
jurisdiction and is further divided into Zila Parishads, Panchayat Samitis, Mahanagar Palikas,
Nagar Palikas, and Panchayats. India has a strong local self-government system and has
ensured democracy at even the remotest corners.
Drafted by
VIPUL SHARMA