Panchayati Raj Participation and Decentralization

Contents Series editor's Introduction/Rakesh Hooja. 1. Introduction participation for effectiveness and effectiveness of participation/Ramesh K. Arora and Meenakshi Hooja. I. Participatory approaches to development 2. People's participation a theoretical framework/Shashi Ranjan Tewari. 3. People's participation in planning a realistic approach/A.P. Barnabas. 4. People's participation in development processes experience and strategy/Y. Sharma. 5. Participative approach to rural development/Satish C. Sharma. 6. Community based organizations and panchayats as instruments of governance in the sphere of watershed development/Rakesh Hooja and Rakshat Hooja. 7. Participatory approach for sustainable agricultural technology transfer/Sujit Kumar Paul. 8. Beyond farmers participation in irrigation participatory irrigation management approaches in India/Rakesh Hooja. 9. Governance advocacy planning and community participation a study of community development workers in South Africa/John J. Williams. 10. Women's participation in local government the Bangladesh experience/Pranab Kumar Pandey. II. Panchayati Raj structure process impact 11. Trends in the debate on Panchayati Raj/Mats Kihlberg. 12. Process of decentralized governance and planning/Abdul Aziz. 13. Local level planning for integrated rural development case studies from India and abroad/K.V. Sundaram. 14. Panchayati Raj and rural development in India/Ramesh C. Shrivastava. 15. Panchayati Raj and poverty alleviation need for new administrative structure/R.S. Kumat. 16. Finances of Panchayati Raj Institutions A study/A.P. Barnabas. 17. Women in Panchayati Raj Institutions beginning of a new era/Pawan Kumar Banta. III. Panchayati Raj Cross state experiences 18. Dynamics of administrative reforms in Panchayati Raj system a study of village secretariat in Andhra Pradesh/D. Ravinder. 19. The Panchayati Raj system in Goa/Sunita Kale. 20. Devolution of powers and functions to PRIs in Daman/C.P. Vithal. 21. Democratic decentralization Zila Parishad as the apex body in Haryana/Rajbir Singh. 22. Panchayati Raj system the Orissa experiment/B.S. Bhargava and Avinash Samal. 23. Implementation of Panchayati Raj in Rajasthan In the light of 73 Constitutional Amendment Act/G.S. Narwani. 24. Panchayati Raj in Tamil Nadu/Santishree D.N.B. Pandit. 25. People centred governance the Panchayati Raj experience in Uttar Pradesh/S.N. Singh. IV. Envisioning decentralization in rural governance 26. Decentralization in rural governance/M. Veerappa Moily. List of contributors. Perhaps the most significant characteristic of India's parliamentary democracy is its vigorous grassroots structure. Local level participatory and democratic institutions sprawling throughout the country have not only brought authenticity to the democratic spirit but have also made the whole process of governance increasingly effective and responsive. More particularly after the 73 and 74 Amendments to the Indian Constitution the decentralized governance framework has introduced a new dynamism into the overall process of participatory democracy. Even though the constitutional amendments have not been implemented in totality yet the process of democratization has become has become irreversible and it can be hoped therefore that in years to come India could boast of a vibrant responsible democracy the tentacles of which would reach every community group and territory of the country. The present anthology discusses some of the most significant and critical issues pertaining to the impact of Panchayati Raj Institutions the framework of participatory democracy and the design of decentralized governance in India. Throughout the volume the emphasis is on highlighting some of the more prominent features of India's participatory democracy and on a few noticeable lacunae that need to be overcome through institutional devices. The volume is descriptive empirical and instrumental in its perspective and will be of enormous utility to students teach. …