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Unit 10 Democratic Decentralization in India
Unit 10 Democratic Decentralization in India
Unit 10 Democratic Decentralization in India
Deconcentration
Transfer of functions, powers and resources
The center executes normative functions,
supervision and control
States are responsible for operational activities
& service programs
It is mostly and administrative action and does
not alter the flow of command in the system
Forms of Decentralization…
Delegation
Transferof responsibilities for decision making &
administration to semi-autonomous organizations
not controlled by but accountable to the central
government (Central Banking, Ombudsman)
Semi-autonomous public enterprises to provide
services more effectively and efficiently than a
central bureaucracy
Forms of Decentralization:
Devolution (political decentralization of powers
from national government to local government
units [LGUs], including the power to tax)
Devolution of national government powers includes
public works, health, agriculture, social welfare,
certain tourism functions, and construction of
school buildings and facilities
Expansion of revenue generation powers of LGUs
Local governments acquire the necessary functions
to govern and not only to administer
Democratic Decentralisation and Poverty Reduction
Issues of democratic decentralisation and rural development
raise a number of questions about the ways in which states
intervene in rural society, and how this affects economic
opportunity.
A number of roles that governments typically play in poor and
predominantly rural areas:
1. One is the provision of public goods, such as universal
education and healthcare.
2. A second is the provision of divisible goods, such as irrigation,
agricultural extension and credit.
3. A third is the determination and enforcement of laws
regulating key economic inputs, such as land, labour and capital.
4. A fourth and critical element is the recognition and protection
of rights allowing for organisation, association and entitlement in
the eyes of the state.
Indian Inter-Governmental Relations
Decentralization and Governance
Decentralization is about governance.
The word governance has two meanings. One refers to ‘the
complex of institutions and organizations which regulate
the life of society’. It encompasses rules (formal and
customary law, regulations internal to organizations, moral
imperatives, contractual obligations, etc.) and social
aggregations (the family, church, municipality, professional
associations, political parties, banks, commercial
enterprises, cooperatives, courts of law, government,
parliament).
The other meaning refers to ‘the act of governing’, that is
to the way institutions are established (for example how
laws are proposed and enacted) and to the way
organizations behave, manage their affairs and govern
people.
CDP…
According to Carl Tylor, "community development is a
method by which people in villages are involved in helping to
improve their own economic and social conditions and
thereby they became effective working groups in the
programme of their national development".
Initially, the CDP was launched in 55 project areas located in
different parts of the country. Each project of Community
Development Programme consisted of about, 300 villages
covering over 400-500 square miles and having a population
of around 2 lakhs.
The project area was divided into three development blocks,
each comprising 100 villages and population around 60 to 70
thousands.
National Extension Service (NES)
The programme was launched on 2nd October, 1953. The
CDP and NES had the same idea and two were integrated
under one agency at the Centre as well as in the states.
Both the programmes were complementary and interwoven
and ran concurrently. The idea behind the National
Extension Service Programme was to cover the entire
country within a period of about 08 years.
It represented on an average 100 villages, with a population
of 60,000 to 70,000 persons spread over an area of 150
to170 square miles. But the N.E.S. blocks were not
developed with the same intensity as areas under the
community development blocks.
Weaknesses in the Community Development
Programme:
1. People did not participate in the programme and perceived it
as a government programme.
2. 2. There has been too much emphasis on end result and less
emphasis in following the correct methods and process to
bring about change in the attitudes of the people.
3. 3. Due to lack of understanding of the objectives of the CD
programme there has often been lack of adherence to the
real objectives of the C.D Programme there has not been
much concentration on essential items.
4. Lack of proper and adequate supervision and guidance both
administrative and technical at various levels.
5. Establishment of superiority by providing democratic
leadership is very much lacking to replace autocratic
authority.
The concept of local self government is not new to our country
and there is mention of community assemblies in the Vedic
texts. Around 600 B.C., the territory north of the river Ganga
comprising modern day north Bihar and eastern U.P. was under
the suzerainty
of small republics called Janapadas among which Lichhavis were
the most powerful.
In these Janapadas, the affairs of the State were conducted
by an assembly consisting of local chieftains.
The state has the power to determine what kind of powers it can
exercise, and what functions it has to perform at the village level.
The 74th Constitutional Amendment act provides for three types of
Municipalities:
Nagar Panchayat for a transitional area between a rural and urban
area.
Municipal Council for a small urban area.
Municipal Corporation for a large urban area.
Each Gram sabha is the meeting of a particular constituency
called ward. Each ward has a representative chosen from among
the people themselves by direct election. The chairperson of the
Panchayat or Municipality at the intermediate and district level
are elected from among these representatives at the
immediately lower level by indirect election.
There are eight types of urban local governments currently existing in India:
Municipal Corporations.
Municipality.
Notified area committee.
Town area committee.
Cantonment board.
Township.
Port trust.
Special purpose agency.
29 Subjects Transferred to the Panchayats(11th
Schedule)
1. Agriculture, including agricultural extension
2. Land improvement, implementation of land reforms, land
consolidation and soil conservation
3. Minor irrigation, water management and watershed development
4. Animal husbandry, dairying and poultry
5. Fisheries
6. Social forestry and farm forestry
7. Minor forest produce
8. Small scale industries, including food processing industries
9. Khadi, village and cottage industries
10.Rural housing
11. Drinking water
12. Fuel and fodder
13. Roads, culverts, bridges, ferries, waterways and other means
of communication
29 Subjects Transferred to the Panchayats…..
14. Rural electrification, including distribution of electricity
15. Non-conventional energy sources
16. Poverty alleviation programme
17. Education including primary and secondary schools
18. Technical training and vocational education
19. Adult and non-formal education
20. Libraries
21. Cultural activities
22. Market and fairs
23. Health and sanitation, including hospitals, primary health centres
and dispensaries
24. Family welfare
25. Women and child development
26. Social welfare, including welfare of the handicapped and
mentally retarded
27. Welfare of the weaker sections, and in particular, of the
Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes
28. Public distribution system
29. Maintenance of community assets
Items Listed in the 12th Schedule:
1. Regulation of land use and construction of land buildings.
2. Urban planning including the town planning.
3. Planning for economic and social development
4. Urban poverty alleviation
5. Water supply for domestic, industrial and commercial purposes
6. Fire services
7. Public health sanitation, conservancy and solid waste
management
8. Slum improvement and up-gradation
9. Safeguarding the interests of the weaker sections of society,
including the physically handicapped and mentally unsound
10. Urban forestry, protection of environment and promotion of
ecological aspects
11. Construction of roads and bridges
Items Listed in the 12th Schedule……
12. Provision of urban amenities and facilities such as parks,
gardens and playgrounds
13. Promotion of cultural, educational and aesthetic aspects
14. Burials and burials grounds, cremation and cremation
grounds and electric crematoriums
15. Cattle ponds, prevention of cruelty to animals
16. Regulation of slaughter houses and tanneries
17. Public amenities including street lighting, parking
spaces, bus stops and public conveniences
18. Vital statistics including registration of births and deaths
Democratic Decentralisation in Tribal and Schedule Areas
Special provisions are made in the constitution through the Fifth and Sixth schedules
to protect the interests of Tribals, their autonomy and rights. The Fifth Schedule
envisages notification of tribal dominated areas as Scheduled areas and the
formation of Tribal Advisory Council at the state level. The Sixth Schedule provides
for establishing autonomous district councils and autonomous regions empowered
with legislative, judicial, executive and financial powers.
Gram Sabha
Every habitation community to have a Gram Sabha which will exercise command
over natural regions, resolve disputes and manage institutions under it, like schools
and cooperatives.
• Gram Panchayat
Elected body of representatives of each Gram Saha, also to function as an appellate
authority for unresolved disputes at lower level.
• Block / Taluk Level Body
This is the next higher-level body suggested by the committee. In addition to this
the committee has suggested an elected body of autonomous district council at the
district level with legislative, executive and judicial powers for tribal areas covered
under the Sixth Schedule.
In 1996 therefore the Lok Sabha passed a bill extending the proposed
Panchayat system of the 73rd Amendment into all Scheduled (i.e.
Adivasis) areas. This Act obliges state governments with scheduled
areas in Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra,
Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Orissa to devolve
responsibility in key areas onto elected Panchayats in tribal areas, no
less than half of whose members had to be Scheduled Tribes.
The Act extended the provisions of Panchayats to the tribal areas
of nine states(and now ten states including Telangana) that have
Fifth Schedule Areas.
Most of the Northeastern states under Sixth Schedule Areas
(where autonomous councils exist) are not covered by PESA, as
these states have their own Autonomous councils for governance.
The ten states with Fifth Schedule areas are: Andhra Pradesh,
Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand,
Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and Rajasthan.
Article 243(M) of Constitution
Dilip Singh Bhuria Committee
Extended provisions of Part IX of the Constitution relating to
Panchayats to Scheduled Areas
With certain exceptions and modifications
Onus on states to make PESA compliant laws
Defined villages and Gram Sabhas (4b)
Every habitation shall have a village
Every village shall have a Gram Sabha
In effect, every habitation can have a Gram Sabha
State legislation should be in consonance with
customary law, social/religious practices, and
traditional management practices of community
resources
Reservation of seats in proportion of population
but not less than one half (4g)
Consultation before land acquisition (4i), power
to prevent land alienation ( Samatha judgement
of Supreme Court)
Planning and Management of minor water bodies
(4j)
Mandatory recommendation of Gram Sabha for Minor
minerals (4l)