India became a Union of States because it consisted of both British-ruled territories as well as many princely states. Some sub-political units of India have a special status. French and Portuguese-ruled territories were given the status of Union territory. Jammu & Kashmir joined India on a special condition. Some units were too small to become…
Challenges before 1990 Political scene was dominated by one party both at the Centre and in the States. As and when the ruling party at the state level was different, the parties that ruled at the Centre tried to undermine the power of the States. The Central Government would often misuse the constitution to dismiss…
When power is taken from ‘Central and State Governments and is given to the local government, it is called decentralisation. The Constitution was amended in 1992 to make the third tier of democracy more powerful and effective. Provisions of the Constitutional Amendment of 1992 are: Now it is mandatory to hold regular elections to local…
The basic idea behind decentralisation: Large number of problems and issues are best settled at the local level because people have better knowledge of their local problems. It helps in promoting direct participation. Structure of Rural Local Government: Zilla Parishad: All the mandals in a district together constitute the Zilla Parishad. Most of the members…
A body comprising of all adult members of a village or a group of villages is a Gram Sabha. Functions of Gram Sabha are: It elects the members of the Gram Panchayat. The Gram Sabha supervises the work of the village panchayat. It approves the annual budget of the panchayat. It reviews the performance of…
Impact of local self government on Indian democracy: Constitutional status for local government has helped to deepen democracy. It has increased women’s representation and voice in our democracy. Difficulties: Gram Sabhas are not held regularly. Most state governments have not transferred significant powers to local government. State governments do not provide adequate resources.
Five advantages of decentralization of power are: Sharing of power between centre and states and local government reduces conflict. Large number of problems and issues can be best settled at local level. People have better knowledge of problems in their localities. People have better knowledge of their own problems. They know better on where to…
Need for local government: There are a number of problems and issues that are best settled at the local level, because people have a better knowledge of the problems in their localities. The local people are aware of their needs and can prioritize. It helps to initiate the process of direct decision making. It helps…