Decentralisation is a much-debated issue in India and other countries with federal system of governance. The enactment of the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act in 1993 and the subsequent state wise panchayat raj acts in India brought to frontline significance of grassroots democratic processes. 

After two decades, panchayat raj in India has been a matter of debate and speculation about its performance and impact. All the major states have completed at least four rounds of panchayat elections. Almost three million people including more than one million women and a sizeable number of SCs/STs took part in these elections. The experiences of the states are extremely rich and provide vital insights into the process of institutionalising panchayat raj. This volume strives to encompass all these issues related to panchayat raj in India.

Besides a crisp introduction by the editors, the book is thematically divided in five parts, viz. 73rd Constitutional Amendment and Status of PRIs; Devolution of Funds, Functions and Functionaries in PRIs; Changing Power Structure and Empowerment of Marginalised Groups; Gender Issues and Empowerment of Women through PRIs; and State Specific Experiences in Structure and Functions in PRIs. The book promises to be a valuable reference for all concerned researchers, bureaucrats, policy makers, planners, practitioners and those concerned with the decentralised governance.

1 Introduction / Yatindra Singh Sisodia, Ashish Bhatt and Tapas Kumar Dalapati

Part I : 73rd Constitutional Amendment and Status of PRIs

2 Theoretical Nuances of Democratic Decentralisation in India / G. Palanithurai

3 Two Decades of Democratic Decentralisation in India / S.K. Singh

4 Two Decades of Democratic Governance at Local Level / Yatindra Singh Sisodia

5 Decentralisation and the Empowerment of Women and the other Marginalised Groups / Nayanatara S. Nayak and Narayan Billava

Part II: Devolution of Funds, Functions and Functionaries in PRIs

6 Fiscal Decentralisation and Panchayati Raj Institutions / Neeta Tapan

7 How Inclusive are the Panchayats / Nupur Tiwari

8 Mainstreaming Youth in Local Governance / K. Gireesan

Part III: Changing Power Structure and Empowerment of Marginalised Groups

9 Governance and Multidimensional Poverty / D.C. Sah and Ashish Bhatt

10 Decentralised Governance through (PESA) Act and Tribal Development / S.N. Tripathy

11 Impact of Decentralised Governance on the Implementation of MGNREGS in Scheduled Areas of Odisha / Nilakantha Panigrahi

12 Pattern of Local Governance for Tribes in Maharashtra  / S.T. Shirsath

13 A Decade of Change through Dalit Leadership / Ramkumar G.

Part IV: Gender Issues and Empowerment of  Women through PRIs

14 Decentralisation and Women’s Development in India / V. Rama Krishna

15 Empowerment of Women through Participation in Local Government in Maharashtra / Ruby Ojha

16 Dalit Women in Power Politics / S. Satyam

17 Women’s Empowerment through Panchayati Raj Institutions / Gadadhara Mohapatra

18 Representation, Inclusion and Empowerment of Women through Panchayati Raj Institutions / Anuja

Part V: State Specific Experiences in Structure and Functions in PRIs

19 Status of Devolution of the Funds, Functions and Functionaries in United Andhra Pradesh / M. Gopinath Reddy

20 Accountability of Mukhiyas / Smita Agarwal

21 Rhetoric of Participatory Development / Alaknanda Shringare

22 Maharashtra Model of Panchayati Raj / Jitendra Wasnik

Yatindra Singh Sisodia is Professor and Director at M.P. Institute of Social Science Research (MPISSR), Ujjain. His areas of interest are democracy, decentralised governance, electoral politics, tribal issues and developmental issues. He has authored/edited more than a dozen books and published over sixty research papers in journals of repute and in edited volumes. He is the Editor of Madhya Pradesh Journal of Social Sciences. He has also undertaken research projects for various Central Ministries and organisations like Planning Commission, ISRO and ICSSR on the issues of topical importance.

Ashish Bhatt is Associate Professor at MPISSR, Ujjain. His research interests include decentralised governance, tribal development, and rural development. He has a number of publications to his credit. 

Tapas Kumar Dalapati is Assistant Professor at MPISSR, Ujjain. His research area encompasses tribal land alienation, tribal movements, agrarian labour relations and changing facets of Hindu marriages.