PANCHAYAT RAJ IN INDIA: Emerging Trends Across the States

Panchayati Raj, as a system of governance at the grass roots level in rural India, has been rightly conceived as the most viable and proper mechanism of realizing the goals of democracy and decentralization. The current debate is not on its desirability but on strengthening it by identifying its weaknesses and taking care of the lacunae which are still there in spite of its constitutionalization through the historical 73rd Constitution Amendment Act. Likewise, empowerment of women and weaker sections, through a well-devised system of reservation, has not only brought about a change in the socio-political culture of these sections of society but has also led to a virtual transformation of the rural scene where people have increasingly become aware of their rights and have started demanding their share in power. In fact, rural India today has become the embodiment of a new revolution which seeks to provide direction to the polity thereby making democracy and decentralization vibrant and feasible for those who deserve it .