Articles by Mahi Pal

Bihar has an innovative system of rural local governance through judicial institutions led by the people. Each gram panchayat has a gram kachahary. How these institutions work, the challenges they face, while settling disputes, and the ways these challenges could be met are examined.

The papers in the special issue on Rammanohar Lohia (EPW, 2 October 2010) did not dwell on the socialist leader's thinking on local governance and local development, ideas which continue to be relevant today for rural development.

Extending the tenure of women in panchayats to 10-15 years as argued by Nupur Tiwari (EPW, 31 January 2009) will not automatically empower them. The existing pattern of reservation should be supplemented with various capacity-building measures. Action-oriented training programmes and adequate representation for women in the local administration will go a long way in ensuring their development and participation in the decision-making process.

New Issues in Panchayati Raj edited by D Bandyopadhyay and Amitava Mukherjee; Concept Publishing Company, New Delhi, 2004;
MAHI PAL Aconsiderable body of literature has been written both in English and Hindi on panchayati raj after the enactment of the 73rd Amendment Act, 1992, and Provisions of Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996. The book under review is a valuable addition to this existing literature. One of the editors of the book is a retired bureaucrat and the other taught bureaucrats in the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie. Both the editors are prolific authors of long-standing. The book contains seven essays which have been authored by senior bureaucrats and academics.

The caste system and patriarchy still exercise a stranglehold on Haryana's panchayat institutions making a mockery of decentralised governance. The women elected representatives need adequate support systems as well as education to make them effective leaders.