Is Panchayati Raj System a failure?

Panchayati Raj System was incorporated in Indian constitution after years of debates in parliament and assiduous efforts of various committees constituted by governments. 73rd and 74th amendment was added with the hope that PRI will be a game changer for the betterment of local areas in Rural and Urban India. 

It is,however,unfortunate to say that PRIs have failed to achieve its fundamental objectives.Basic provisions are on the ground but the values and the motive behind the provisions have not been exteriorized. 

Lead role in the picture of PRIs in rural areas has to be played by the Sarpanch without any doubt. Ironically, the lead actor is the most lethargic and unethical person in the picture. I have tried to gather information from some villages of Madhya Pradesh. This is what I came to know about the functioning of Panchayats:

1) Sarpanch invest too much money to win elections. Money is then recovered after election through any possible way. The fund released by state governments is definitely not going in the right direction. There is no such regulation and monitoring over activities of Sarpanch. 

2) Gram sabha meetings are rarely organized. Since there is no such provision of minimum meetings in a specified time the schedule has become too irregular. 

3) The motive behind reservation for women was their empowerment. Ground reality is that women becomes sarpanch because of reservation but they are not educated enough to deal with the issues in village.

4) The election process and environment is not issue centric. Voters give preference to status and caste of the candidate rather than his qualification and ability to handle such responsible post.

5) Villagers often hesitate to reach out to Sarpanch in case of emergence of any issue. Their point is if they will go against him for resolution of a social issue he will create hurdles in their local issues.

Situation in the urban areas is more or less same. Problem here lies with the basic structure of urban local bodies. I believe that local society level issues needs to be resolved at society level. Parshad elected from each wards belongs to political parties. Political engagement is not good at this level. These representatives often get involved in political issues rather than creating a value addition in their areas. 

Also,creation of a separate ministry could not bear fruits. The kind of supervision required by the ministry has not been observed till date. 

Inefficiency of PRIs is a serious concerns and requires serious consideration and efforts. Signals of improvement are,however, visible in some key areas. Efforts are being made to ensure transparency in the functioning of Panchayats through CCTVs and other technologies. 

Changing the basic provisions of the system is not practical. Proper implementation of existing provisions is,however, possible with efforts of all the stakeholders. Meanwhile, regulation and monitoring and time to time  assessment is equally important. 

Last thing which is required is to punish the irresponsible because we live in a country where it is said that "लातों के भूत बातों से नहीं मानते"