Federalism
Decentralisation in India
Explain how India's third tier of government works.
Why a third tier? Indian States are as big as whole countries: Uttar Pradesh has more people than Russia; Maharashtra about as many as Germany. Many are also very mixed inside. So power must be shared within States too. Taking power from the Central and State governments and giving it to local government is called decentralisation.
Why local government works. Many problems are best solved locally. Imagine a village with no hand pump while the State spends money on a skating rink: villagers know better what they need.
- Local people know local problems best.
- They know best where money should go and how to run things well.
- They can take part directly in decisions, which builds the habit of democracy.
This is local self-government.
Before and after 1992. Panchayats and municipalities existed, but they were controlled by State governments, elections were irregular, and they had no powers or money of their own. In 1992 the Constitution was amended:
- regular elections to local bodies are now compulsory;
- seats, and the top posts, are reserved for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes;
- women get at least one-third of all positions;
- each State has an independent State Election Commission to hold these elections;
- States must share some powers and revenue with local bodies (how much varies by State).
Rural local government: panchayati raj.
- Gram panchayat: for a village (or group of villages). Ward members (panch) and a president (sarpanch), directly elected by all adults there.
- Gram sabha: all the voters of the village. It oversees the panchayat, and must meet at least twice or thrice a year to approve its budget and review its work.
- Panchayat samiti (block or mandal): a group of gram panchayats; members elected by the panchayat members of the area.
- Zilla parishad: all the samitis of a district. Most members are elected; the district's MPs and MLAs sit on it too. Its chairperson is its political head. (The District Collector is an officer who runs the administration: a different job.)
Urban local government. Towns have municipalities, headed by a municipal chairperson. Big cities have municipal corporations, headed by a mayor. Both are run by elected representatives.
The world's biggest experiment in democracy. About 36 lakh elected representatives now sit in panchayats and municipalities: more than the population of many countries. It has deepened democracy and given women more voice. But problems remain: gram sabhas do not meet regularly, and most States have not handed over enough powers or money. True self-government is still a long way off.
Porto Alegre (Brazil) shows what is possible: citizens meet ward by ward to help make the city budget, so money also goes to poor areas (buses now run there). Parts of Kerala have tried something similar.
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