Panchayats have always from time immemorial, been the backbone of Indian villages. Gandhiji, the Father of the Nation, in 1946 had aptly remarked that Indian independence must begin at the bottom and every village ought to be a Republic or Panchayat having powers. Gandhiji’s dream has been translated into reality with the introduction of the three-tier Panchayati Raj system to ensure people’s participation in rural reconstruction. The passage of the Constitution (73rd Amendment) Act, 1992, marks a new era in the federal democratic set-up of the country and provides constitutional status to the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs). Consequent upon the enactment of the Act, almost all the States/UTs, except J&K, NCT Delhi and Uttaranchal have enacted their legislation. Panchayati Raj system establishes a linkage between local leadership enjoying confidence of people and the Government, and translates the policies of the government into action. It plays an important role for rural development in general, especially uplift of the down-trodden. This book attempts to capture the dynamics of Panchayati Raj experience in India since 73rd constitutional amendment taking stock of devolution of powers, extent of de-bureaucratization and availability of finances. The book analyzes and critically evaluates the effectiveness of PRI as a system of governance for securing people’s participation in the decision-making process, women empowerment, local leadership creation, social capital formation and poverty alleviation. It attempts to explore the possibility of making PRI an effective tool for participatory development, empowerment of Marginalized classes and management of local resources. Above all, the book examines the impact of Information and Communication Technology [ICT] dissemination on PRIs and its effect on rural people.
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