End of proxy leadership in Panchayati Raj: A step towards stronger democracy

Why in the NEWS?

• The government has recently talked about taking strict measures to stop proxy leadership.

Key Points:

• The Panchayati Raj system in India is an effective means of strengthening the roots of democracy at the rural level.
• 33-50% seats have been reserved to ensure women's participation.
• This step was taken to bring women into the mainstream of leadership, but in practice it is facing many challenges.
• The biggest problem among these is proxy leadership, where instead of elected women representatives, their male relatives run the government.
• This not only hinders women's empowerment, but also weakens the basic spirit of Panchayati Raj.

What will you read next in this topic?

1. Women Reservation and the Challenge of Real Empowerment
2. Causes of Proxy Leadership
3. Government initiatives and prevention of proxy leadership
4. Panchayati Raj System
5. Establishment of Panchayati Raj

Women Reservation and the Challenge of Real Empowerment

• The objective of reservation for women in Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) was to give them the power to take administrative decisions. However, at the ground level it has been observed that:
  • Many elected women Sarpanchs and Panchayat members are unable to function independently.
  • Their husbands, fathers, brothers or other male relatives take over the reins of governance in their place.
  • Many times women are only nominal representatives, and the real decisions are taken by men.
• This situation limits women to only a symbolic representation, affecting their leadership capacity and self-reliance.

Causes of Proxy Leadership

• There are several social and administrative reasons responsible for proxy leadership:
  • Patriarchal mind-set: Women are rarely given the right to take decisions independently in society.
  • Lack of education: Many elected women Panchayat representatives do not have formal education and knowledge of administrative processes.
  • Lack of institutional support: Panchayats do not have adequate resources to train and support women leaders.
  • Interference of male relatives: Women are unable to take decisions independently due to family pressure.
  • Attitude of officials: Some government officials do not take women sarpanches seriously, causing them to lose confidence.

Government initiatives and prevention of proxy leadership

• The government has recently issued strict guidelines to prevent proxy leadership, which include:
  • Mandatory attendance of elected women representatives in panchayat meetings.
  • Special training programmes for empowerment of women leaders.
  • Creation of monitoring mechanism for complaints of proxy governance.
  • Facility of digital tools and online training in panchayats.
• However, the success of these measures will depend on their effective implementation.

Solutions and suggestions

• The following steps should be taken to eliminate the problem of proxy leadership and empower women panchayat leaders:
  • Education and training: Organise workshops on governance, budgeting, financial management and digital literacy for women representatives.
  • Institutional support: Provide guidance and administrative support to women leaders in panchayats.
  • Technological empowerment: Women Sarpanchs should be provided with smartphones and other digital resources.
  • Economic strength: The honorarium of Sarpanchs and Panchayat representatives should be increased so that they can become financially independent.
  • Accountability mechanism: An effective mechanism should be developed to investigate complaints of proxy governance, but it should also prevent false complaints.

Panchayati Raj System

• Panchayati Raj System in India is the most important link of democratic decentralization.
• It is an autonomous mechanism of rural governance, which is designed to run the administration smoothly at the grassroots level and promote local development.
• Panchayati Raj not only enhances the self-reliance of rural India, but also provides citizens with an opportunity to participate in the administration.

Origin and Development of Panchayati Raj

• Panchayati Raj in Ancient India: 
  • Village Panchayats were functioning in India since ancient times, which administered justice and administration.
  • The Chola Empire (9th to 13th century) developed an organized and effective local self-government system in India, called the Village Panchayat System.
  • This system was the most important part of the Chola administration and is considered to be the ideal model of local self-government.
• Panchayati Raj in the British period: 
  • Lord Ripon (1880-1884) is called the father of local self-government in India.
  • Lord Ripon passed a resolution on local self-government in 1882, called "Ripon's Local Self-Government Scheme".
  • Its objective was to strengthen panchayats in India and increase the participation of local people in the administration.

Key Points:

• Establishment of local self-government – ​​Local bodies (panchayats and municipalities) were established in villages and districts.
• Non-governmental participation – Elected representatives were included to ensure public participation in the administration.
• Decentralization – The power of the central and provincial government was distributed to the village and district levels.
• Autonomy – Local bodies were allowed to work independently.
• Financial powers – Panchayats and municipalities were given the right to collect and spend taxes in their area.
• Establishment of District Boards – District boards were formed to monitor local development work.
  • However, most of the powers were with the British officials, which limited autonomy, and panchayats and local bodies did not receive adequate financial support.
• Revival after Independence: 
  • After independence, there was a growing demand in India to revive the Panchayati Raj system based on Gandhian ideology.
  • Mahatma Gandhi believed that self-rule of villages (Gram Swaraj) is true democracy.

Establishment of Panchayati Raj

• 1957: Balwant Rai Mehta Committee recommended the implementation of Panchayati Raj system.
• 1959: Rajasthan became the first state to implement Panchayati Raj in Nagaur district.
• 1992: 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act was passed, giving constitutional status to Panchayati Raj.

73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992

• Important Provisions:
• Three-tier structure:
  • Gram Panchayat (village level)
  • Panchayat Samiti (block level)
  • Zila Parishad (district level)
• Reservation: 
  • Reservation of seats for women, Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST).
• Local Development: 
  • Responsibility for development of education, health, water supply, roads, and other basic amenities.
• Financial autonomy: 
  • Right of Panchayati Raj institutions to levy taxes and receive government funds.
  • Establishment of State Finance Commission and Election Commission: 
  • To maintain fairness of Panchayati Raj elections.

Key points of 73rd Amendment:

• Articles 243-A to 243-O provided constitutional provision for Panchayati Raj.
• Elections were made compulsory at village, block and district levels.
• Reservation for women (33%) and SC/STs was introduced.
• Financial powers were given to Panchayati Raj institutions by establishing State Finance Commission.
• Gram Sabha was empowered and given the right to take decisions.

Articles related to Panchayati Raj in the Constitution:

• Article 40 – State governments were directed to organize village panchayats and give them autonomous powers.
• Article 246 – Subjects related to Panchayati Raj were placed in the State List, giving state governments the freedom to implement it.