Panchayati Raj

Contents: I. The Background: 1. Introduction: The system of panchayati raj, the state of the people. 2. Local Government before Independence. 3. The Tradition of the Village Community. 4. Constitutional and Other Pressures. 5. The Development Programme. 6. The Balvantray Mehta Report. II. The System: 7. Structure. 8. Composition and Election of Councils. 9. Functions. 10. Finance. 11. Staffing. 12. The Committee System. 13. Relationship with other Institutions. 14. Politics and Panchayati Raj. III. Reflections: 15. Structure and Organisation of Local Government. 16. Relationships with Government. 17. Financial Problems. 18. People and Panchayati Raj. 19. Supervision and Guidance. 20. Staffing. 21. Conclusions.

This book, as stated in its subtitle, is concerned with rural local government in India. Panchayati Raj is playing an important role in promoting social change, economic development and the intelligent administration of representative government. It is vital for India that its rural local government shall be both democratic and effective because its functions include most of the development activities – such as agriculture, rural industry, family planning, water and irrigation, rural roads, warehouses and markets, finance – as well as the complementary and intertwined functions of education, health, sanitation and housing.

The study falls into three parts. The first is an introduction for those to whom administration and local government in India are new fields of study. This takes essentials of the earlier systems of local administration and local government which have strongly influenced panchayati raj. The system  or more accurately, systems as there are some dozen approaches in the different states – is described in the second part. This section of the book provides information about the essential components of any local government system – electoral systems, council organization, staffing, finance, areas and so on. The chapter titles indicate the extent of the coverage. The book ends with a discussion of some of the more important problems and possible contributions to their solutions.  

The book will not only interest students who are keen to understand the nature of local government in rural areas, but also the many in India whose concern is not academic, but very practical – a concern arising from their having to live with the system, to make it work. (jacket)