Local Democracy and Good Governance: Five Decades of Panchayati Raj

Group Captain Ranbir singh (Retd.), born in 1935, was commissioned in the Transport Stream of the Flying in January 1956. During his service career spanning over three decades, he has logged more than 5000 hours of flying in different types of aircrafts, and has extensively traveled in India and abroad. He was in active flying service during all the major operations since mid-fifties. He is a graduate from the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington. He was the Chief Public Relations Officer, Ministry of Defence for the entire Eastern Sector from 1975 to 1980. He is a freelance writer who writes for various newspapers and magazines covering a variety of subjects ranging from war and human angle stories, to features on social and economic issues. He is also a book-reviewer, and has also scripted a number of television features. Other books by the Author: Rajiv Gandhi: The Man: The Pilot: The Politician; PV Narasimha Rao: The Man: The Politician – Some Problems and Issues; Profiles of Courage; Yadein (Fond Memories): In & Out of Cockpit: Potential to Performance; Footprints of Courage in the Sands of Time; War and Peace Quotes and Anecdotes; Mom Said So: Good and Gracious Living is Simply a Matter of Just Plain (Un?) Common Sense; Nonny Tales: Nani ki Kahaniyan; Panchtantra Tales (Some Selections); Operation Cactus Lily; Smile and Ponder: An Exciting Odyssey with the Lawless Laws of Life and Living Wars Fought and Lessons Not Learnt; Anecdotes from Battle Areas; Indian Defence Forces: The Turning Points; Indo-Pak Relations: Past, Present and Future; Eternal Principles of War; Marshal Arjan Singh: Life and Times; Major Defence Operations; Memorable War Stories.

Dr. Surat Singh is the Director of the Haryana Institute of Rural Development, Nilokheri. He obtained his Ph.D. degree in Political Science in 1984. Earlier to his present assignment, Dr. Singh has been associated with NIRD, Hyderabad for a decade and worked in different capacities. Dr. Surat Singh has to his credit of successfully completing several Research Projects sponsored by Govt. of India, Govt. of Haryana and other Organizatins. Few of them are, viz. Status of Panchayati Raj in Delhi, Common Land Encroachment and Panchayat Finances, Women Representatives in PRIs and National Social Assistance programmes. Few of his books published are: Facets of Development in Rural Society (1997), Women Panchayati Raj Representatives in Haryana (1998), Problems and Prospects of Panchayat Finances: A Study of Common Lands (2001). In addition, he has published more than thirty Research Papers in Journals of International and National repute including the ‘Community Participation in Risk Management’-orally presented in an International Conference held at Sweden.