Local Self-Government

The governing structure in India is made up of three tiers – the central government, the state government, and the local self-government. The local self-government is made up of democratically elected representatives of the local people.

Two major forms of local self-government exist in India:

1. In the urban areas, that is, in cities and towns, local self-governance is carried out by municipalities and corporations.

2. In the rural areas, that is, in villages, Zila Parishad, block samitis, and panchayats carry out the functions of local self-governance.

Local self-government is a form of democratic governance where the participation of even the grass root level of society is encouraged and included.

History and Growth of Local Self-Government in India

Self-governing village communities have always existed in India since the earliest of times. Slowly over a period of time, these village bodies were converted to form Panchayats. Panchayats or Panchayati Raj is one of India’s oldest local self-government systems. The word ‘Panchayat’ means an assembly (ayat) or five (panch) people who rule (raj).

Elected local self-government bodies came into existence after 1882, when Lord Rippon, the father of local self-government, took the initiative to create these bodies. At that time, these were known as local boards.

After the Government of India Act in 1919, village panchayats were firmly established in several provinces. While Rippon is widely known as the father of local self-government, Mahatma Gandhi is also a key player in decentralising political and economic power at the grassroots levels. Gandhi supported the strengthening of village panchayats and ensured the involvement of local self-governments in all developmental initiatives.

With the passing of the 73rd and 74th Constitutional amendments, it became mandatory for every state to have rural and urban local self-governments in place and the mechanisms to fund these bodies. It also became compulsory that these bodies carry out elections every five years.

With the creation of this local governance, rural and urban local bodies were given the constitutional status that ensured uniformity in their functioning and structure across India.

At present, there are over 250,000 local self-government bodies across the country, with over 3.1 million elected representatives. Out of this, 1.3 million representatives are women.

How is the Local Self-Government System Structured?

In rural areas, there are three governing bodies. At the top is the Zila Parishad, or district council. The Zila Parishad is made up of panchayat samitis or block councils. Panchayat Samitis are composed of gram panchayats or village councils. Every village in India has a gram sabha which includes anyone above the age of 18 years in the village. The gram sabha members have the right to elect the panchayat members directly.

In the urban areas, there are three local self-governing bodies:

• Municipal corporations (Mahanagar Palikas) in areas that have a population of over a million

• Municipalities or Municipal Councils (Nagar Palikas) for areas with less than one million population

• Nagar Panchayats or Town Councils for areas in the middle of transitioning from rural to urban

In large municipal areas, they may further be divided into wards.

In the case of panchayats, the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) structure remains the same across India. Only India’s tribal and scheduled areas are exempted from this system of governance. A village must have a population of at least 500 people to have a Gram Panchayat. The panchayat members are elected directly by the villagers, also for a term of five years.

Functions of Local Self-Government

The primary objective of these local bodies is to promote local economic development, social justice, and infrastructure development. The various functions of the local government include:

• To build basic infrastructure like transport, roads, power lines, schools, hospitals, etc

• To construct and maintain community assets

• To promote the development of agriculture by proper management of irrigation and water schemes, land improvement, and soil conservation

• To promote education

• To enhance health facilities and promote awareness about health

• To promote small-scale industries of the village

• To develop social forestry, dairy, poultry, and animal husbandry

The local government bodies are also responsible for implementing a wide variety of schemes that the state government comes up with to develop rural and urban areas.

In order to help local bodies understand how best to govern, the India Institute of Local Self Government was established in 1926. The institute acts as the perfect guide to all the urban local bodies and spreads awareness about urban education, capacity building, and governance. All India Institute of Local Self Government helps the local government bodies upgrade their skills and knowledge for carrying out effective administration. They also ensure the proper implementation of various development programmes.

Conclusion

The Indian Constitution divides our governing system into three tiers, with local self-government taking care of the grassroots level. The local self-government falls under the state government’s jurisdiction and is further divided into Zila Parishads, Panchayat Samitis, Mahanagar Palikas, Nagar Palikas, and Panchayats. India has a strong local self-government system and has ensured democracy at even the remotest corners.