NCEAR study aims at strengthening Panchayati Raj system

Termed as Rural Economic and Demographic Survey (REDS), the study aims at taking stock of the 73rd Constitutional Amendment to strengthen Panchyats and making them more self reliant for their revenue, Dr Hari Nagarajan, Senior Fellow, NCAER said.

"The study is a stock taking and research exercise. The government is either confused or it is buying time. I don't think it is serious about implementing the Amendments to the Constitution empowering village councils," he claimed.

The recommendations of the report will be presented to the government on the Panchayati Raj Day on April 24 next year.

After two decades of the amendment, I think the exercise to devolve more powers to Panchayats have given mixed results, he said.

The exercise, conducted in 242 villages across 17 states, has found that while the rural infrastructure and the degree of access to public access has improved, corruption has affected the implementation of centrally sponsored schemes like Rural Employment Guarantee Act.

"I think there is an express need for re-evaluating the amendment. Should the implementation be fine-tuned. I think yes," he added.

While there are many achievements of devolution of powers to the local villages, "there are many drawbacks as well. So it is a spectacularly mixed bag," he said.

While delivery systems of some services like education, health has improved, the powers to collect their own taxes given to villages through the 73rd Amendment, have not been implemented even 20 years after Parliament empowered the Gram Panchayats to do this, Nagarajan said.

According to the research body, at present 85 per cent of all revenues of the village council come through centrally sponsored schemes, while another 10 per cent come from state funding. "In all it amounts to a some lakhs of rupees," he said.

"There is a question mark over whether the empowerment of villages has resulted in significant increase in rural development," Nagarajan said.

The research body has argued in favour of strengthening institutions like village health and education committees and review of the methods to implement centrally sponsored schemes like MNREGA should be changed.