Chapter 1: Empowering Panchayati Raj Institutions:

1. Panchayat Raj institutions (PRIs) are pillars of democracy.
2. Panchayats are primarily a responsibility of the state government as “Local Government” is a state subject in the seventh schedule.
3. Article 243G empowers the state legislature to consider 29 subjects enumerated in the 11th schedule of the Constitution for devolution to panchayats. These subjects are related to – agriculture, land improvement, land reforms, minor irrigation, water management, fisheries, social forestry and others.
4. This allows PRI taxation powers making them self-sustainable. To achieve this – self-assessment of their needs, developing their own sources of revenue and ensuring public participation are essential.
5. However, states have been reluctant to devolve these powers.

Various steps have been taken in recent years to strengthen these PRIs.

1. The PESA Act 1996 is a significant step in strengthening Panchayati Raj institutions at the grassroots level.
2. In 2004 separate Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) was created to make PRIs an effective, efficient and transparent vehicle for local governance, social change and better public service delivery. The current focus of MoPR is to enable PRIs to attain sustainable development goals at the Panchayat level and further enable the country to achieve SDGs at the national level.
3. To increase competitive spirit among panchayats and states, awards, including financial incentives, are given under the incentivisation of the Panchayat scheme to the Best performing panchayats and states.
4. E-governance and ICT initiative: e-Gram Swaraj was launched in order to strengthen e-governance in Panchayat and eventually ease the complexities involved in e-governance initiatives.
5. Other initiatives, such as the Citizen Charter campaign, common service centres (CSS), and the Swamitwa scheme, are being implemented to further empower Panchayati Raj institutions.
6. Further, steps are being taken to empower Panchayati Raj institutions and make them self-sustainable.

Way Forward: Strengthening gram Sabhas is critical to empower gram panchayats –

• It can ensure the effective and active participation of people in public governance at the Panchayat level.
• At least six gram sabhas should be organised throughout the year discussing issues related to women, children, marginalised sections, health and education etc.
• Gram sabhas review and reassess ongoing government schemes related to local economic development and social justice and their performance at the Panchayat level.

Chapter 2: e-GramSwaraj

E-GramSwaraj is a comprehensive application for Panchayati Raj institutions (PRIs) to assess their works and needs. It was launched on National Panchayati Raj Day – 24 April 2020.

The application is mandated to facilitate effective monitoring and evaluation of works taken by gram panchayats.

Need for e-Governance:

• Need of the Hour: Advancements in IT have prompted nations worldwide to increasingly adopt the practices and processes of good governance. In modern administration and governance – E-governance is critical to ensure smart and good governance at the community level.
• Government’s Aim: e-Gram Swaraj sits well with the central government’s Motto of ‘minimum government and maximum governance’.
• Better Governance: E-governance helps ensure better accountability, efficiency and effectiveness of governance initiatives, better decentralisation and planning, and awareness generation at the local level.
• Important for Development: E-governance in Panchayati Raj institutions can help redefine and enhance community development’s various social, economic, technological, and environmental aspects.
• Constitutional Mandate: The gram panchayats are constitutionally mandated to examine and review available resources with the community and accordingly prepare GPDP stranger economic empowerment and social justice.

  Good Governance

Importance of the e-GramSwaraj application

1. Helps in strengthening digitalisation at the Panchayat level.
2. Empowering rural citizens for better participation in government initiatives and improving grass-root governance.
3. Better transparency and accountability to reduce leakages and better planning of gram Panchayat development plans (GPDP).
4. It enables gram panchayats to upload GPDP, Financial and physical work reports.
5. Enables online payment to material vendors and service providers.
6. Using the application – about 2.56 lakh gram panchayats have uploaded their GPDP for the financial year 2021–22.

Difficulties in implementing e-governance initiatives at the Panchayat level:

1. Internet connectivity: even today, many gram panchayats and tribal–remote areas still do not have internet connectivity.
2. Lack of digital literacy for Panchayat representatives and citizens.
3. Issues such as data security, data privacy, and usability of data limit the adoption of e-governance.
4. Inertia to acceptance of e-governance initiative: lack of acceptance of digital means by local people needs to be addressed.

The way forward – Strengthening e-governance at the village level:

1. Awareness generation among representatives and citizens for acceptance of E-governance initiatives.
2. Common service centres (CSS) – can be used for better service delivery of government initiatives and training of local/rural citizens.
3. System improvements: Applications such as e-GramSwaraj should be made more robust and dynamic to cater for the needs of different PRIs. This should be done with sustained feedback from all the stakeholders involved.
4. It is imperative to ensure community participation, accurate identification of activities and effective implementation of these projects/activities to further E-governance.

Chapter 3: Good Governance at Grass-root Level.

11. Panchayat Raj institutions (PRIs) are the most potent and essential tool provided by the Constitution of India to empower democratic values at the grass-root level.
12. PRIs ensure the participation of weaker sections in the socio-economic development process.

Structure of Panchayat Raj institutions (PRIs) in India

13. In India, the model of Panchayati Raj institutions is structured in three layers in part 9 of the Indian Constitution related to Panchayati Raj institutions.
14. In states or union territories – having a population of more than 2 million, there are three levels of PRIs
    1. Gram Panchayat at village level.
    2. Mandal Parishad/block Samiti/Panchayat Samiti at block level.
    3. Zila Parishad at the district level.

Historical context:

1. As far back as Rigveda – Sabha, Samiti and Vidhata are mentioned as institutions of local self-governance.
2. In other ancient literature, such as – Ramayana, Manusmriti, and Kautilya’s Arthashastra, we can find references to local self-government.
3. Even in the dynasties of Southern India and during the mediaeval period of the Delhi Sultanate and Mughal Empire – we find mention of rural local governance.
4. Panchayati Raj institutions found their modern form during the British Raj when the Mayo Resolution of 1870 was brought into. The resolution bestowed several powers and functions to institutions of local self-governance.

Panchayati Raj in Independent India:

1. During the 1950s – there was no standard structure on an Indian basis for PRIs. However, some states started implementing it under different names and different formats.
2. However, the 73rd and 74th Constitutional amendments paved the way for local self-governance in rural and urban India.

Steps were taken to empower PRIs in India:

1. Gram Panchayat Development Plans (GPDP)
   • It is a campaign launched to prepare Panchayat development plans for economic development and furthering social justice initiatives.
   • The planning process is deemed to be comprehensive and participatory, which involves full convergence of schemes related to various ministries/departments.
2. SWAMITVA scheme:
   • The scheme improves property records and better land management in the country.
   • It aims to provide them with the right to document their residential properties so that they can use that property for economic purposes.
   • It involves drone surveys of villages and lands properties across the nation.
   • The SWAMITVA scheme will conclude clear ownership of rural land.
3. E-Panchayat: It is a platform for online reporting, monitoring and management of Panchayat-level activities. It aims at ensuring transparency and accountability in gram Panchayat activities using ICT tools.
4. Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyaan: RGSA is launched to transform aspirational districts – as a people-propelled development at ground level.
5. Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan: It was launched in 2014 to make India clean and defecation free. It promotes the culture of cleanliness and the use of toilets.

Chapter 4: SVAMITVA Scheme for Providing Property Validation.

• Rural residents are not being able to harness and monetise their residential assets and land due to the absence of proper land records.
• The SVAMITVA Scheme seeks to address and streamline the processes related to the digitisation of land records – by removing ambiguities and obscure land records.
• It has the potential to act as a stepping stone in uplifting the rural economy of India.

What is SVAMITVA Scheme?

• Aim of the SVAMITVA Scheme: to provide an integrated property validation solution for rural India.
• It involves better demarcation of land boundaries through drones serving technology.
• It will finally result in clear ownership of rural land – that can be used for economic purposes by their respective owners.

Objectives of SVAMITVA Scheme:

1. Capitalising property as a financial asset.
2. Reduction in the land–property disputes.
3. Creation and updation of land records.
4. Providing the right to property to the property holder.
5. Empowering gram panchayats to levy property tax through the resolution of property disputes.
6. Creation of robust survey infrastructure with ICT technology.

Need of SVAMITVA Scheme:

1. Economic reason: Inaccuracies and ambiguities in land records limit the economic potential of rural India. According to estimations – India loses around 1.3% of its annual economic growth due to disputed land titles.
2. Ease of Credit: The absence of land records hampers the ability of marginal and small farmers to gain credit through formal means. This indirectly limits the potential of the agriculture sector to some extent.
3. Reducing Litigation: Land disputes generate a burden on the judiciary.
4. Property tax to Panchayats: litigation results in a loss of revenue to panchayats – with clearance of land disputes, panchayats can levy property taxes effectively.
5. Affects infrastructure development in rural areas: because of pending litigation, issues related to land acquisition are frequent.
6. Obsolete records: Most villages were surveyed during the 19th – 20th century. There has not been any update since then – the records are outdated.

Challenges for implementation:

1. The participation of the rural/local population is essential for the success of the scheme.
2. Providing legal validity to the property card issued through SVAMITVA Scheme is one of the significant challenges.
3. Cooperative Federalism: As land is a state subject – it may require amendments to various state government acts.
4. Lack of power to panchayats: many states have not devolved administrations to panchayats yet.
5. Exclusion of particular communities from land ownership.
6. Ambiguities in the schemes: For example, the scheme mentions identifying the disputed land. However, there are ambiguities regarding specific mechanisms to resolve land disputes.

Way forward:

1. It is essential to list the documents requiring stamp duty payment under the state revenue act to provide legal validity to the property card.
2. The proper mechanisms should be established to ensure the participation of the local public.
3. A review committee can be formed to revisit the act that needs amendments.
4. Model conclusive land titling acts and rules can provide desired solutions related to resolving property-related disputes.
5. The rights of vulnerable and marginalised communities should be given preference during the SVAMITVA scheme’s implementation.

Chapter 5: Woman Empowerment

• The Constitution has empowered women to be instrumental in strengthening the decentralisation of governance through PRIs. However, the Constitution has provided reservations for women at all levels of the Panchayati Raj system.
• The Constitution mentions the reservation of one-third of seats at all levels of PRIs for women.

Situation Analysis and women participation: An Assessment

1. At the national level, around 46% of the total elected representatives are women – acting as presidents/members of Panchayat Raj institutions.
2. Many women representatives did not have any prior political experience or linkages.
3. In terms of social groups, a large number were from more marginalised sections of the society
4. 83% of the elected women representatives first entered politics through reservation.

Determinants of good performance

1. A longer duration of being elected as a PRI representative.
2. Training
3. Education up to middle school and above.
4. Active involvement in Panchayat work.

Way forward:

1. Enhancement in educational levels of elected women representatives.
2. Encouraging younger women to join politics.
3. Imparting relevant training and undertaking capacity-building activities for women representatives.
4. Giving good honoraria.
5. Association of women representatives with self-help groups and committees to increase their visibility in villages.
6. Training of other functionaries to sensitise around gender issues.
7. Leadership training programmes cover multiple dimensions such as rules and regulations, administrative issues, budgeting and finance etc.
8. Sharing good practice and exposure visits.
9. The separate quorum for woman attendance for gram Sabhas and Panchayat meetings.
10. Devolution of power and authority by the state government to Panchayat.

Chapter 6: 2030 Agenda for sustainable development

• To realise India’s SDG goals, gram panchayats must make village-level development plans to uplift living conditions.
• The plans should be all-inclusive and comprehensive to address the problems of all sections of society.
• Gram panchayats can help integrate SDG targets with other central/state government initiatives to attain better results.
• Instruments such as the Gram Panchayat development plan (GPDP), their potential to assimilate different sections of the society in planning and capacity development can prove crucial for India’s SDG goals.

Gram panchayat’s role in the attainment of SDG:

1. Convergent implementation of the schemes: flagship programmes of the central government, such as the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM), Swachh Bharat Mission, and MGNREGS, can achieve better results by converging them with GPDP plans.
2. Participatory and outcome-based planning for local development: on various domains such as economic development, social justice and environment conservation.
3. Specific government interventions at the Panchayat level are to be achieved by creating different fora for discussion, Community monitoring and tracking mechanisms and citizen feedback.
4. Improvement of revenue generation of panchayats for finding resources for service delivery.
5. Interventions across all tiers of local governance: through better digitisation initiatives, organisational overhaul and systemic changes.

Need for the Involvement of PRIs SDG Goals:

1. Localising Development: Almost 65% of the population lives in rural areas – hence PRI has a crucial role in localising SDGs. It is the convergence point between local and regional–national governments and their associations for achieving SDG targets.
2. Social Justice: The twin objectives of Panchayati Raj institutions – improving the local/rural economy and ensuring social justice can be achieved. The role of gram panchayats becomes more critical considering their potential to reduce social-economic disparities and reducing urban–rural divide.
3. Fulfilling constitutional Mandate: The functions of the Panchayati Raj systems, as mentioned in the Constitution, converge with the attainment of SDG goals. Hence empowering PRIs would also fulfil the constitutional mandate.
4. Convergence with Government Programs: Various SDG goals related to health, education, and water conservation are deeply co-related to the successful implementation of schemes/programmes by PRIs

Challenges to the attainment of SDG at the Global – National level:

1. Pandemic effect: the pandemic put a severe brake on the progress of SDG. The countries had to impose complete lockdowns and stoppage of economic activities, pushing many below the poverty line.
2. Climate change: with the rising threat of climate change – unforeseen instances such as earthquakes, landslides, and floods are affecting billions worldwide.
3. Geopolitical conflicts: such as Russia – Ukraine crisis, and tensions in East Asia, can result in the rise in prices of fuel, food etc.
4. Data gaps: serious data gaps exist in the SDG monitoring mechanism. These data gaps exist in geographical coverage, timeliness and level of disaggregation.

Chapter 7: Water Management Through Panchayats.

• The over-exploitation of water has made it a scarce commodity with time. As per the government data – 17% of the groundwater blocks are overexploited – 5% are at a critical level, and 14% are at a semi-critical stage.
• India’s fast-expanding and rapidly increasing urban population is resulting in an exponential rise in water demand across the country.
• As water is a state subject – water-related planning projects are done and implemented by the state governments according to their priorities and resources.
• The government of India plays the role of providing technical support and partial financial assistance with existing schemes.

Panchayat participation in water management:

1. In the context of water management or governance, PRIs have a crucial role in assuring water supply to the community.
2. Paani Samiti/ Village Water and sanitation committee (VWSC) is a standing committee of gram Panchayat related to planning, implementation, operation and maintenance of water resources in the village.
3. Apart from ensuring adequate water supply for domestic purposes – gram Panchayat is also responsible for providing water to public places such as schools, temples, public offices etc.

Initiatives for water management in Rural India:

1. Pani panchayats or water users associations are being created for local and participatory management of surface irrigation systems.
2. The national water policy of 2012 emphasises the importance of the involvement of local bodies of water management.
3. Empowered Gram Sabhas: Powers are invested in gram sabha for taking critical decisions for the management of the source of water, type and nature of the water supply scheme etc.
4. Social audits are being mandated for effective monitoring and ensuring accountability of the gram Panchayat plans.

Government schemes:

1. Atal Bhujal Yojana: the scheme has been launched to improve groundwater management in water-distressed areas. The scheme is operational in more than 8500-gram Panchayats across seven states. It also involves bringing behavioural change at the community level.
2. Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana: the scheme was launched to handle supply-side and demand-side water management. It involves implementing measures such as on-farm water use efficiency, watershed development, Repair – renovation – restoration of water bodies etc.
3. Gel Jeevan Mission – Har Ghar Jal: the scheme is being implemented with the collaboration of state governments. It seeks to provide a tap water supply to every rural household in the country by 2024. It also involves behavioural change, information dissemination, education and communication etc.
4. The government is also implementing several projects collaborating with international organisations such as World Bank.

Case studies for value addition:

1. Bakaram Jagir gram Panchayat, Telangana: the gram Panchayat has resolved the water management issue with innovative programmes such as the construction of overhead tanks, underground water tanks, and an RO plant to ensure the provision of safe and quality drinking water.
2. Pappala gram Panchayat, Himachal Pradesh:
   • The village was having liquid–solid waste management issues. Health problems, soil contamination, mosquito breeding, and foul odour were prevalent.
   • However, by integrating these needs with programmes such as MGNREGS and proper implementation of the Atal Bhujal scheme – the village has transformed into a water surplus village.

Chapter 8: Human Development Through Panchayat Raj Institutions.

Role of panchayats in rural human development:

1. Fulfilling constitutional Mandate of local development: Several subjects under the 11th schedule of the Indian Constitution relate to agriculture, irrigation and water management, rural housing, fuel and fodder, women and child development, animal husbandry etc.
2. Imparting Governance: At the rural level, panchayats are required to work to facilitate self-governance and prioritise education, health and several other service delivery aspects.
3. The efficient delivery of public services can reduce economic inequalities to a great extent.
4. Transforming Rural economy: Other rural development schemes, such as NRLM and MGNREGS – have use potential to transform the rural economy through infrastructure generation and reduce unemployment.
5. Self-Governance: PRIs are also essential in garnering people’s participation in planning and keeping accountability – transparency checks.
6. Social Justice: Gram panchayats can create a positive environment for collective action and improve the social fabric.

To provide necessities of life such as health, education, and shelter – the role of PRIs can be pivotal. For example – enrolment of children in the age group of 16–14 has shown phenomenal growth.

Emerging Environmental risks

• The rural economy and rural culture as a whole are highly dependent on natural resources and ecosystem services. Thus, any adverse changes in the ecosystem make them highly vulnerable to climate change and natural disasters.
• Human activities have been the leading cause of climate change since the dawn of the 20th– 21st century. Over-exploitation of natural resources, haphazard deforestation, and rapidly declining biodiversity are some crucial factors that can disturb rural life.

Role of panchayats in climate change and disaster risk reduction:

1. Panchayat Raj institutions’ proper commitment and leadership are significant for local disaster risk reduction.
2. PRIs are the first point of contact during any unforeseen event or disaster. Hence, they have a very significant role to play as immediate providers of public services and communities in need.
3. Community training, disaster preparedness, and spreading public awareness are some initiatives that Panchayati Raj institutions must take to address and reduce the effects of future disasters.