Panchayat raj in Karnataka - II

By M. Y. Ghorpade

THE BASIC principles which should govern administrative decentralisation are well established. The activity should be located at as low a level as possible to maximise accountability. The administrative and financial resources available at a particular level should be capable of handling the activity competently. The three-tier structure of panchayat and administrative decentralisation should cover identification of activities, programmes and schemes to be devolved from the State level to panchayat raj institutions, demarcation of the role of each tier and the specification of the extent of autonomy of decision- making in each case. There should be enough space for panchayats to take up activities of their choice. Their role should not be confined to implementation according to the pattern laid down by the Government or purely agency functions. Panchayats should have adequate control over their staff and sufficient untied grants to spend according to their priorities. There is a need to take a more comprehensive look at administrative decentralisation, apart from political decentralisation, to enlarge the powers and functions of the panchayats by transfer from the State level and to ensure that a reasonable proportion of the untied funds are available at each level. The Centrally-sponsored schemes should also be re-examined from this point of view to avoid parallel schemes and remote control. The State and Central Finance Commissions should ensure that a minimum per capita untied grant is available to all panchayats, apart from other grants, schemes and programmes. The system of levying and collecting local taxes needs to be made more effective.

As far as planning is concerned, there is scope for reducing the multiplicity of schemes and regrouping them for more effective implementation. Similar schemes with new names make for wasteful expenditure on staff and overheads with little impact. With fewer schemes, the panchayat concerned can have greater flexibility in decision-making and the staff can be rationalised. This may help in realising funds which can be given as untied grants. The 73rd Constitution Amendment makes it obligatory to set up a District Planning Committee according to a given pattern. These are not functioning satisfactorily for want of precise thinking on all related issues. The concept of local planning cannot succeed in isolation. The modalities of planning and implementation by Central, State and panchayat raj institutions should be comprehensively reordered to subserve the dynamics of decentralisation. Simultaneously, measures for transparency and accountability have to be strengthened. The gram sabha should play a pivotal role, supported by mandatory availability of information, social audit and vigilance committees, appellate tribunals and institutions such as the Ombudsman. The reordering of functions between State and panchayat raj levels, which implies contraction in the powers of political and bureaucratic functionaries, marginal though it may be, is likely to meet with resistance from both. This will require adequate political will at the highest levels and growing awareness at all levels.

Under the present system, the State Government devolves Plan and non-Plan funds, to panchayat raj bodies, along with the corresponding staff, so that they can exercise effective control over the implementation of the development programmes. The panchayat raj institutions should be actively encouraged to form groups of stakeholders and users of different facilities. This will broaden the base of public participation, use local experience and expertise, and make the people discharge their responsibilities by way of public contribution and proper maintenance of works coming under their jurisdiction. In this way, not only water works and sanitation programmes but schools and hospitals could also come under their active supervision and control, infusing fresh vigour and democratic accountability into the system. We also want to involve the gram panchayats and gram sabhas in the effective implementation of the public distribution system, food-for-work and other poverty alleviation programmes.

The next logical step is to make panchayat raj bodies effective instruments of not only development schemes but governance itself, including collection of land revenue and other matters. Information technology could be of great help. The distinction between development and other administrative functions should progressively disappear and panchayat raj bodies should be responsible for governance at their level. Development and other administrative activities should be under their supervision and control with built-in checks and balances and suitable safeguards and linkages between the three tiers and the Government. If this happens, the panchayat raj bodies will be fully empowered to function as local self-governments and not merely as bodies through which development schemes are channelled.

This would amount to a major shift in our perception and functioning of panchayat raj bodies in keeping with the great need to take panchayat raj and decentralisation forward in all respects. This total decentralisaiton will revolutionise the whole concept of governance and make it people-oriented. In a large democracy like ours, this is an inevitable goal towards which we must all move swiftly, on the eve of the new millennium. Karnataka has already taken significant steps in this direction and is determined to take decentralisation forward.

The time has come to be very clear about the role of politics in development. Party politics makes sense at the State Legislature and Parliament levels, where ideological differences have to be taken into account in legislation and policy making. But, at the level of panchayat raj institutions, we are concerned with proper implementation of development works in keeping with the wishes of the people and with their full participation.

There is no ideology involved in deciding where a road should be built or a school constructed. It has been our experience that party politics at the level of panchayat raj bodies creates unnecessary bad blood and bitterness which interferes and affects development on the basis of consensus and cooperation. Therefore there is a good case to keep development free of party politics. People should be free to choose individuals in whom they have confidence without the distracting and somewhat irrelevant compulsions and inhibitions of party politics. Therefore conducting panchayat raj elections at all the levels on a non- party basis would go a long way in ensuring that the social atmosphere is not unnecessarily vitiated.

In Karnataka, elections to gram panchayats are conducted on a non-party basis since the passing of the Karnataka Panchayat Raj Act, 1993 (though at the other two levels of taluk and district it is still conducted on party lines).

It is equally necessary to devise a strict code of conduct for members with effective implementation. Transparency in election expenditure and stringent disqualification methods and measures to deal with corrupt electoral practices should be high on the agenda of reforms, if the panchayat raj system is to be saved from corruption, which otherwise could result in decentralising corruption.

(Concluded)

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