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Sir, - I was touched by George Mathew's article, `Enemies of Panchayati Raj' (Jan. 11). That the present state of affairs should persist despite the rhetoric from political leadership in the Centre and the States seems to demonstrate the chasm between the letter and reality in democratic decentralisation in India.

The picture is no different in the urban scene as the Mayors pointed out to the Prime Minister recently. Apart from what Prof. Matthew refers to as instances of distortion in the programmes of different Central and State departments, one must also note the way a number of donor agencies sideline the Panchayati Raj institutions while

devising the implementation machinery for sector programs in health, education and poverty reduction.

Pachampet Sundaram,

Los Angeles, U.S.

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