INDIAN ACADEMY

Dr. Keshab Chandra Mandal E-Mail: mandalkeshab2013@gmail.com The discussions in the previous chapter indicate that there existed a great many problems in the state prior to assembly elections in 2011. These include dire financial crunch in state exchequer, disruption of life and property due to frequent Maoist movement in Jungal Mahal, complex hill crisis, Singur land dispute, indiscipline in administration, health problems, bad condition of roads, high-handedness of a large section of government officials as well as party members, unemployment problem, stagnation in industrialization and above all corruption at every level. All these undesirable, unacceptable and undemocratic happenings made a mess in the whole situation in state affairs. The people, being disgusted and disturbed by the uncanny situation, voted for a massive change in rule and they enthusiastically elected the Trinamool Congress Party led by the firebrand leader of India Smt. Mamata Banerjee. After a lands...

Dr. Keshab Chandra Mandal E-Mail: mandalkeshab2013@gmail.com Since time immemorial, India has developed a number of systems based on community management of local affairs. The community based management of local affairs is called panchayats , which literally means a council of five persons. “ The word 'panchayat' is a traditional one, referring to the five elders in a village who mediated conflict and spoke on behalf of all the residents of a village in pre-modern times.” 36 During that time, participation of common people and especially women in the decision making process was restricted and the functions of the local governance were akin to what was developed in other ancient agrarian phases like the Russian ‘Mir’, German ‘Mark’ and the medieval ‘Manor’ of England.      We have already learnt that sabhas were existent in the Rig-Vedic period (1200 BC), which were considered as the village self-governing bodies in ancient India. With the evolution of ...

Dr. Keshab Chandra Mandal E-Mail: mandalkeshab2013@gmail.com Local bodies are institutions of the local self governance, which look after the administration and development activities of an area or small community such as villages, towns, or cities. The local bodies in India are broadly classified into two categories i.e. rural local bodies and urban local bodies. The local bodies constituted for local planning, development and administration in the village areas are referred as rural local bodies ( panchayats ) and the local bodies, which are constituted for local planning, development and administration in the urban areas, are referred as urban local bodies (municipalities). Local Government is a state subject figuring as item 5 in List II of the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution of India. Article 243G of the Indian Constitution enshrines the basic principle for devolution of power to the Local Bodies. In the nation's journey towards becoming an economic power, loc...