Major Committees

Year	Committee	Recommendation
1957	Balwant Rai Mehta	3 tier Panchayati Raj
1978	Ashok Mehta	2 tier system
		Zila Parishad & Mandal Panchayat
1985	GVK Rao	strengthen planning & admin role of PRI
1986	LM Singhvi	constitutional status for PRI
2001	HK Patil	greater devolution to local bodies
2007	2nd ARC	emphasized decentralization & role clarity b/w tiers

Functions of LSG

common: basic amenities (water, sanitation), health, edu, welfare scheme, road, disaster relief
Art 243G (PRI): rural development, agri, social justice (eg. nyaya panchayat)
Art 243W (Municipals): urban planning, housing, slum improvement, transport, trade regulation

Role of local bodies in good governance

decentralized decision making
community engagement eg. Kerala participatory budgeting
inclusion of marginalized sections eg. 45% PRI women members
resource management, service delivery

Empowering PRI - govt efforts

SVAMITVA scheme - drone based rural property record preparation
Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan - capacity building of PRI
e-Gram Swaraj
Gram Panchayat Development Plan
Panchayat Sashaktikaran Abhiyan - training & capacity building

Challenges

Challenge area	Issues
Funds	inadequate funds, dependency on state devolution
	weak local revenue generation
	reluctance to tax locals
	delays in constituting SFC
	15th FC: no grants w/o SFC compliance
Functions	Poor devolution of powers
	state retains key functions
	weak district planning committees
	parallel bodies eg. SPV (Smart cities mission)
Functionaries	inadequate staff
	deputed personnel lack accountability
	weak audit & transparency
	delayed elections
	political interference, politicization

Should rural & local bodies be merged?

Pros	Cons
Integrated development	rural priorities sidelined
cost efficiency	political representation imbalance
equitable resource allocation	funds may favor urban areas
efficient service delivery	regulatory complexities
	different kinds of challenges

Women in PRI

46% rep
focus on welfare, governance, political aspiration
+ve leadership: Chhavi Rajawat, Suranlekha
challenges: proxy leadership, patriarchal norms, low national representation

Curbing proxy representation

penalizing proxies
Sashakt Panchayat Netri Abhiyan for promoting genuine leadership

Urban Local Bodies

Recent Initiatives

Annual Capacity Building Plan: strengthen ULB capacity, piloted in Ahmedabad, Mysuru, Rajkot, Pune
Municipal corporation role: govern urban infra, sanitation, water, health
- but revenue only 0.6% of GDP (RBI 2023-24)

Impact of local self governance

decentralization of power eg. Ward Committees
Effective service delivery
grassroots development eg. DPC
Marginaziled empowerment

Reluctance of states to empower ULB

limited autonomy, manpower shortage, bypassing via SPV
finance: dependnce on grants, weak SFC, restricted tax powers, limited market access

Municipals

Issue	Solution
Less functional autonomy	transfer functions, funds, functionaries
Low revenue generation	strengthen property tax collection
concentration of power	decentralize within ULB
poor citizen link	activate ward committee & tech usage
lack of economic integration	city economic councils for business facilitation
Weak financial systems	fiscal decentralization & market oriented models
untimely elections	ensure timely elections as per SC directives

Capacity building measures

National Urban Digital Mission
JNNURM
Municipal bonds: Rs.2600Cr raised post 2018

Impact of decentralization on Grassroots governance

strengthened local insti: PRI, ULB empowered
enhanced participation, boosts inclusivitiy
better scheme implementation
quick issue resolution, localized solutions eg. Zero Waste, Alappuzha
economic upliftment (SHG, Rural livelihood, eg. Kudambashree)

Persistent challenges

financial dependence
social & gender barriers
political interference
capacity gaps
weak accountability mechanism