Accountability of Panchayats

A Datta’s letter “Panchayat Accountability” (EPW, 15 August 2009) on M A Oommen’s paper “Limits of a ‘Devolution Index’” (EPW, 18 July 2009) needs discussion in the context of accountability. A Datta says that Oommen’s paper assumes that the “scope of panchayat (or local government) accountability is limited to external and social audit”. Oommen, however, argued that “…accountability of a public institution means being answerable to the public for their actions or inaction” and then went on to explain upward accountability (in terms of fund audit) and downward accountability to the citizens and suggested “A social audit, ombudsman, citizens’ charter, right to information, and so on are also ways to ensure accountability of the PRIs in India” (p 18).

Mentioning these accountabilities, Oommen argued that the Devolution Index has not taken into account downward accountability through the instrumentality of the gram sabha which is a people’s institution. Hence, the paper assumes the panchayats’ accountability to the people who are the sovereign creators of the government.