07/06/2022 - Polity

KEY POINTS

·        Twenty-five years have gone by since India passed the 73rd/74th Constitutional Amendments (CAs) heralding decentralised governance, and 23 years since all the States passed the conformity legislations ushering in the third tier of government in Indian federal polity.

·        The central tendency of local democracy in India tells a story of indifference if not neglect. After a quarter century of decentralisation, local expenditure as a percentage of GDP is only 2 per cent compared with the OECD (14 per cent), China (11 per cent), and Brazil (7 per cent).

·        For example, as the CAs do not provide a separate list for local governments, the Eleventh Schedule that lists 29 subjects for PRIs, and the Twelfth Schedule with 18 subjects for urban local governments, carry no operational meaning because almost all local functions are State-Concurrent.

·        The MPLAD and MLALAD (local area development) continue to bypass local governments. The mission-based administration of schemes by some States (Gujarat, Kerala) dampen the smooth growth of democratic decentralisation.

·        Democracy, which is a government of people, by the people, for the people, must ultimately win for it is not only an intrinsic value but is instrumental to ushering in an inclusive and just society. This cannot happen without developing democratic local governance with a sense of urgency.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/10kPBhPX0yizrQQ3IoF0JB3VcEeX3m5Ih/view?usp=drivesdk

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