Decentralization in Indian Governance: India follows a three-tiered system of governance, with authority distributed among the central government, state governments, and local self-government bodies. Decentralization aims to promote grassroots democracy, enhance community participation, and address local issues effectively.

Empowering Local Governance: The Need for Decentralization in India

• Power Sharing: India’s vastness and diversity require power sharing beyond Two Tiers. 
  • States like Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra are larger than European countries. 
  • Many of these States are internally very diverse. 
  • Thus, there is a need for power sharing within these States. 
• Decentralization in India: Federal power sharing in India needs another tier of government, below that of the State governments facilitating Decentralization of Power. 
  • This resulted in a Third Tier of government, called Local Government.
• Power Transfer: Decentralization involves transferring power from higher levels to local governments. 
• Democratic Participation: As people better understand local problems and resource management, it promotes Democratic Participation and Self-Governance. 

Evolution of Local Governance: From Independence to Constitutional Reforms in 1992

• After Independence: Panchayats in villages and municipalities in urban areas were set up in almost all the States. 
• But these were crippled with some issues: 
  • Local bodies were directly under the control of State Governments. 
  • No regular elections to these local governments 
  • Lack of powers or resources of their own. 
• Thus, there was very little decentralization in effective terms. 
• But this situation changed with a constitutional amendment in 1992.

Panchayati Raj: Strengthening Local Government in 1992

• The Constitutional amendment empowered the Third-Tier of Democracy. 
• It provided constitutional status to Panchayati Raj Institutions with certain specific provisions:
  • Regular local elections are mandated. 
  • Reserved seats for marginalized groups like Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes.
  • At least one-third of positions reserved for women.
  • State Election Commission formed for conducting local elections. 
  • State Governments were mandated to share some powers and revenue with Local Governments. 

Structural Setup of Panchayats: District and Local Governance in India

• Local Government at lower levels includes Village-level councils called Gram Panchayats. 
  • It consisted of directly elected members, including Ward Members and a President. 
  • It’s a decision-making body, supervised by the Gram Sabha (all voters).
  • Gram Sabha reviews performance and approves Budgets.
• Higher Levels of Local Governance consist of Panchayat Samiti /Block/Mandal groups of multiple gram panchayats. 
  • Zilla (District) Parishad formed by all panchayat Samitis in a district. 
  • Zilla Parishad consists of Elected Representatives, officials, and local MLAs.
  • Municipalities and Municipal Corporations are set up for urban areas. These elected bodies oversee Urban Governance.

Importance and Challenges of Panchayati Raj in India:

• Panchayati Raj: Indian Panchayati Raj Institutions is the largest democratic experiment globally. 
• Democratic Experiment: Around 36 lakh elected representatives are there in panchayats and municipalities. 
• Women Representation: It deepens democracy and enhances women’s representation. 
• Challenges Remain: However, challenges still persist in the form of irregular Gram Sabha meetings and limited powers and resources transferred to Local Governments.

Conclusion:

• Despite challenges, local government’s constitutional recognition fortifies India’s democratic foundation as it empowers communities, strengthening self-governance.