What obstacles to local self-governance!

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At this time when the local body elections in AP have been finalized, in the background of the second phase of municipal elections in Telangana soon - to examine the extent to which the objective of the 73rd and 74th constitutional amendments to strengthen democracy with a three-tier system of governance has been fulfilled. Appropriate. Democracy means equality... equal opportunities for all to progress in life. Only if the governance is decentralized without a few monopolizing the power and financial resources - the direct participation of the people in policy making and the implementation of public programs will increase and inclusive development will be possible. The local organizations formed for that purpose are becoming ceremonial idols and the aspirations of the people are not valued anywhere. Gram Panchayats and Municipalities are not empowered to solve public problems due to decades of step-motherly love in the transfer of funds, functions and powers. That is why the common people have to live like this in miserable surroundings without even basic infrastructure!

The ideals of local self-governance cannot be realized just by holding elections. Panchayats and Municipal Corporations should have sufficient staff and resources to be available to the public, monitor everything from sanitation to drinking water supply, identify deficiencies in civic services and promptly remedy them. For example, two-thirds of all government employees in the United States and China belong to local governments. In our country's administration, the number of such people is slightly more than ten percent! The same is the case with funding. In 1961, the shares of central and state governments' own tax revenues were 5.5 and 2.6 percent of GDP respectively. By 2019, they had increased to 11, 6.4 percent. In the same period, the tax revenue of urban local bodies fell from 0.4 percent to 0.3 percent. The self-determination of local bodies is becoming invalid in the predicament of having to completely depend on the funds coming from the central and state governments. Compared to the municipalities, the panchayats, whose own revenue sources are still less, have to scrounge for money for small public works. With that, the migration from the villages to the cities, which is losing its livelihood, is increasing! 

In the case of local body elections, the issues of those areas should be discussed prominently. Village development and urban development plans should be put before the people and votes should be asked. In contrast, the parties are mostly limited to campaigning on national and state level issues.  As a result, many of the problems faced by the people of rural and urban areas for a long time continue. Garbage that accumulates everywhere, roads that become muddy with little rain, street lamps that do not know when to turn on, and polluted water are degrading the standard of living. If there is to be a change in this system and the fruits of democracy reach the village level - Panchayat Raj institutions should be given powers directly from the constitution. Clear and robust arrangements should be made for distribution of resources. The central and state governments should step in for basic reforms that strengthen the executive capacity of local bodies!