Democratic Decentralisation in India
The Government of India introduced the concept of democratic decentralisation for the good governance and development of rural and urban areas at the grassroots level. To deal with poverty and sustainable development of the country, the key component is decentralisation of power in which the authority for some functionality and resources is taken from the state government and given to the local government.
In 1992, when the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment Act passed that transfer of power to popularly elected local governments, it was a crucial step toward the decentralisation of power. The 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act introduced Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs), which were not a completely new concept; it has been in existence since centuries with the name, Gram Panchayat. Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) are responsible for the development of the rural areas. The 74th Constitutional Amendment Act was introduced for the development of the urban areas where municipal bodies have the power and authority to plan for economic development and implementation of schemes.
Devolution of authority and resources are given to local governments on a permanent basis. The state government does not give the authority to gather tax from the public to the local government, but the state government funds them, handles tax, and provides staff so that they can carry out their responsibilities. Local government, which includes panchayats and municipalities, is a state subject. Consecutively, power and authority have devolved to panchayats and municipalities at the discretion of states.
It can be said that there is a design weakness in decentralisation. Still, If we take a closer look at India’s political and social history, we can observe that there was a centralised power that regulated the country. Still, the problem at the grassroots levels is untouched, from which we can conclude that the state government has the authority to handle local governance. A study conducted by the Fourteenth Finance Commission shows that authority and power for five basic responsibilities – mainly sanitation, water supply, communications and roads, streetlight provision, and community asset management – have devolved into local self-government. According to the Constitution, panchayat and municipality elections should be held every five years.
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Issues with local Governments in India
The restriction is in the architecture of the financial streams that send money to local governments, as well as in a lack of personnel, untimely and postponed election and corruption.
Insufficient Funding
The money or amount provided to the local government is not enough to meet the basic requirement of the local authorities.
Inflexibility in Spending the Allocated Budget
Most of the money given to the local government is inflexible, which means the use of money is restricted to a particular use. For example, suppose a road is being constructed and it is required to build sewage near the road for its durability. But it cannot be built as this much flexibility is not given to the local government because of the constraints in the allocated budget.
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Lack of Staff
There are not enough human resources to perform basic tasks. The human resources they get are hired by the higher-level department that too on deputation. That is why they (staff) do not feel accountable to the local government, they think they are accountable to the higher-level departments.
Untimely and Delayed Elections
The Constitution mandates elections within six months of completion of five years for the panchayats and municipalities to be held, but states often postpone the election.
Corruption
Contractors and criminals are mostly attracted to the local government election because of the large amount of money involved.
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Conclusion
Democratic decentralisation is the division of power and authority in the different layers of government that is Centre, state, and local government. It is said that the more powerful decentralisation is when more people contribute to governance. In India, decentralisation does not work properly as there is very little progress in this direction. It has been 30 years since the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment Act.
Every five years, 32 lakh people’s representatives get elected; in spite of that, there is no serious change in local government functioning. Above all, the accountability of the local governments is primarily to their voters.