The Monthly Journal

MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT Vol. 59 No. 10 Pages 52 August 2011

Kurukshetra

CHIEF EDITOR RINA SONOwAL KOULI EDITOR KAPIL KUMAR pRODuCTIOn OFFICER VINOD KUMAR MEENA COVER DESIGn RAJAT NAIK EDITORIAL OFFICE ROOM NO. 661, NIRMAN BHAVAN A-WING (GATE NO.5), MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT, NEW DELHI-110011 TEL. : 23061014, 23061952 FAX : 011-23061014 E-MAIL : kurupage@yahoo.co.in FOR SUBSCRIPTION ENQUIRIES, RENEWALS AND AGENCY INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: Business Manager EAST BLOCK-IV, LEVEL-VII, R.K. PURAM, NEW DELHI-110066 TEL. : 26105590, 26100207 FAX : 26175516 E-MAIL : pdjucir_jcm@yahoo.co.in WEBSITE : publicationsdivision.nic.in SUBSCRIPTION : INLAND 1 YEAR : RS. 100 2 YEARS : RS. 180 3 YEARS : RS. 250 ABROAD (AIR MAIL) ONE YEAR RS. 530 (NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES) RS. 730 (OTHER COUNTRIES)
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CONTENTS
Establishing good govErnancE in Panchayat administration: shaPing a vibrant FuturE For rural india dEcEntralization and ParticiPatory Planning For rural dEvEloPmEnt Panchayati raj in india: rEtrosPEct and ProsPEct Planning From bElow: lEgislation vErsus mobilization FirE in thE ForEst dEmocratic dEcEntralization: a study oF villagE councils in mizoram rural businEss hubs FROM THE GROUND Post 73rd constitutional amEndmEnt & womEn lEadErshiP in siKKim tagorEan PhilosoPhy: dEvEloPmEnt EnvisagEd through rural rEconstruction & lovE oF naturE Bio MetriCs AtM dEvEloPmEnt and rEcEnt trEnds dasaPushPa, thE ausPicious mEdicinal hErbs anupam hazra dr. mohd azam Khan tosib alam Prof. ranbir singh dr. Preet Pal singh utpal chakraborty Kumar singh toppo. Kanker, Chhattisgarh dr. harendra sinha 3 6 12 16 22 26 30

Dr. G.D. Bhatt

33

Dhurjati Mukherjee r.srinivasan dr. jayakumari. t. r.

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Kurukshetra seeks to carry the message of Rural Development to all people. It serves as a forum for free, frank and serious discussion on the problems of Rural Development with special focus on Rural Uplift. The views expressed by the authors in the articles are their own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the government or the organizations they work for. The readers are requested to verify the claims in the advertisements regarding career guidance books/institutions. Kurukshetra does not own responsibility.

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InsIde

ndia took a major step in decentralizing governance from top to bottom when it passed the 73rd and 74th Amendments to the Constitution. While the results of devolution of power to the local government are encouraging there is

need to give more financial resources to the local government-the Panchayati raj, which is also described as the last stage of democracy. the underlying principle of the Panchayati raj is to take democracy to nearly 6000,000 villages of the country. While there is acceptance of the need for self-governance, it is still a long way off before full decentralization of power is transferred. the government is considering increasing the capacity of Panchayats so that they can discharge their responsibilities effectively. the Gram sabhas have become instrumental in effectively carrying out effectively many of the central schemes of rural development, especially the mnrEgs. to weed out corruption, and effectively carry out the policies of the government for inclusive growth, decentralization of power, through Panchayati raj will play a very effective role in good governance. Devolution of power is the key to giving the rural india their due. so, the need for rural good governance lies at the heart of rural decentralization process. Panchayat, being nearer to the people it serves, has every potential to act as a model administrative unit of rural good governance. Panchayati raj has played a significant role in the empowerment of women, upliftment of backward classes, and implementation of rural developmental schemes. We discuss in this issue how the principle of decentralization of power has worked over the years with special reports from the ground.

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Establishing Good Governance in Panchayat Administration:

Shaping A Vibrant Future for Rural India
Anupam Hazra
The issue of good governance in panchayat administration is gradually emerging as a key issue in the sphere of rural development, because failure in the rural governing system will result in spread of corruption, inadequate availability of basic services for the rural poor, and failure in tackling rural poverty.

he rural administrative scenario of india, especially the administration of PanchayatiRaj institution across the nation is marked by both successful innovations and practices in public service delivery as well as a number of pathetic performances. the general weakness of accountability mechanisms is an impediment to improving service delivery system for the rural poor in india. Bureaucratic complexities and procedures make it difficult for rural population as well as the civil society to navigate the system for timely and

quality delivery of services. the lack of transparency and dominance of political biasness that have been associated with the panchayat administrative system since independence, besides generating corruption, have also led to injustice and favouritism. Ensuring good governance in panchayat administration in this regard will be the most efficient and effective measure, where the functioning and administrative affairs of the Panchayat will be managed in a manner which is open, accountable, equitable and responsive to peoples needs.

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Establishing Good Governance in PanchayatiRaj System: Portraying The Priorities

as majority of the elected members are both first timers and illiterate too at times. they need to be sensitized about different facets of PanchayatiRaj system. also necessity is there to enable them to equip themselves with proper attitude, skills and knowledge as these would ultimately contribute to effective implementation of developmental programmes in rural india. Ensuring capacity building support to the Elected members and officials of PanchayatiRaj institution, which will significantly enhance their performance. Panchayat training must promote a culture of oneness amongst Panchayat leaders and officials, through exposure visits and interactions between districts and states. Peer to peer learning, both within and outside the state through regional or national tie ups and visits to beacon Panchayats should be encouraged and supported, so as to spread innovations and best practices in panchayats administrative process. Pris need to have the minimum capacity building infrastructure along with teams of capable trainers and facilitators special training programmes must be organized in areas covered by the Panchayats (extension to scheduled areas) act, 1996 so as to have regard to the cultural traditions and special needs of tribal people. identifying major bottlenecks at the local governance level through consultative processes like group discussions, public hearings, developing participatory tools etc; Encouraging research, studies, assessment and evaluation related to functioning of Pris, which will suggest policy actions as well as will indicate areas of further administrative reforms institutionalising a system of social audit, which is essential for improving local service delivery and for ensuring compliance with laws and regulations. special efforts must be made to undertake training and awareness campaigns for social Audit by Gram sabhas. simultaneously, the Non-Governmental organisations (ngos), the community based organisations (cbos) and the civil society organisations (csos) should be given more space, support and encouragement to mobilise the local community in undertaking social audit. While social audit and governmental control are necessary for making the rural local self-government or panchayat accountable, on the other hand an independent grievance redressal body would provide the rural population with the much needed instrument for enforcing accountability; the local bodies themselves should be in a position to learn from mistakes and mould themselves according to the needs of the rural population. this would require a robust in-house mechanism for redressal of grievances. Promoting equal access to resources and strengthening the political voice of the poor; the poorest and marginalised sections need to be enlightened and empowered through the participatory planning process, so that they can actively participate in the planning, implementation and monitoring processes, to articulate their voices and to reflect their needs and priorities in the gram sabha and gram Panchayat plans. empowerment of the poor people would create new demands and pressures on quality services and only an effective administrative system alone can manage these new demands. Need to ensure closer networking with media and their engagement in creating public awareness and creating demand for good governance in Panchayatiraj system
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effective resource mobilization by Gram Panchayats through tax and non-tax measures needs to be improved substantially; resources will have to be utilised at Gram sabha and Gram Panchayat levels for more pro-poor outcome, leading to sustainable reduction in rural poverty and empowerment of the poorest of the poor more efforts need to be made for enhancement in the ability of PanchayatiRaj institutions to develop campaign and communication system for awareness generation among rural communities regarding different developmental agendas and issues; it can also be ensured through meaningful applications of latest ict solutions to reach out to millions of target audience, elected Pri representatives, rural population and field functionaries. comprehensive strategies need to be framed to give an impetus to the e-governance initiatives, which will encourage more transparency in Panchayat administration there is a need for more research work and study with in-depth focus on how a rural institution or organisation can be shaped, restructured to be transparent, to be accountable and to ensure peoples active participation. success stories in this regard will be helpful in drawing proper policy for the development and need-based modification of Panchayat administration Peoples participation and involvement of the peoples organisations like the civil societies, community based organisations, voluntary organisations, local ngos in governance is an essential input in all the stages of development; so more efforts need to be made in this direction the issue of good governance in panchayat administration is gradually emerging as a key issue in the sphere of rural development, because failure in the rural governing system will result into spread of corruption, inadequate availability of basic services for the rural poor, and failure in tackling rural poverty. on the other hand, good governance will minimise corruption, the views of minorities will be taken into account, the voices of the most vulnerable in society will be heard in decision-making, and the rural administration will be responsive to the present and future needs of the rural population. so, the need of rural good governance lies at the heart of rural decentralisation process. Panchayat, being nearer to the people it serves, has every potential to act as a model administrative unit of rural good governance. For democracy to be truly empowering, it should be fully alive at the grassroots level. For ensuring rural development as well as eradication of rural poverty in a sustainable manner at the grassroot level, establishing good governance in panchayatiRaj system should be a prerequisite. rural good governance does not occur by chance; it must be demanded by citizens and nourished explicitly and consciously by the nation. if rural governance policy is not framed properly and rural government structures as well as peoples institutions are not set up properly - rural india will not be able to ensure a sustainable rural growth with equity and justice. the quest for effective governance, particularly at the grassroot or village level, is one of the many challenges, being faced by rural india; and at the same time, establishing effective governance in PanchayatiRaj institutions is also one of the best opportunities for shaping a vibrant future for rural india. (The author is Assistant Professor in Department of Social Work at Assam (Central) University, Silchar - 788011; Assam; e-mail: anupam688@yahoo.co.in)

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Decentralization and Participatory Planning for Rural Development

Dr. Mohd Azam Khan & Tosib Alam
The 73rd Amendment to the Constitution hence has been welcomed as focusing the attention of the nation on the fiscal structures and processes of rural India. As per the 29 items of the Eleventh Schedule of the Constitution, three functions i.e functions, functionaries and funds have to be devolved on the Panchayati Raj Institutions for planning and implementation of schemes pertaining to a particular sector. But Centrally Sponsored Schemes implemented by other Central Ministries, often ignore the involvement of PRIs. In case the role is identified, it is either non-existent or minimal. Although 73rd Amendment was not a component of structural reform but the attempt to decentralize allocative decisions with the change in the development strategy should be more open and market friendly economic regime.

he term decentralization is the process whereby authority is restructured between institutions of governance at the central, regional and local levels with power and functions transferred to the lowest institutional or social level that is capable of completing them. it involves devolving political power, defining peoples role in the decision making, transfer of functions,

devolution of funds, making administrative arrangement for planning and implementation of taxing powers and financial autonomy and so on. it has been felt that decentralization of power to the local units of governance and management is one of the best ways of empowering people, promoting public participation, increasing efficiency and transparency.

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decentralization is linked to rural development in many ways. the proximity of policy implementers to the target groups reduces information and transaction cost of identifying the poor and helps in designing potentially successful capacity improving and safety net policies. decentralized provision of the public services can also help to link revenue-expenditure decisions at the margin. this can improve both efficiency and accountability in the provision of such services. governments that are closer to the people should in principle, be able to provide services more efficiently and effectively than a remote, centralized authority. in india, Panchayati raj system is identified as prime instrument of decentralization through which democracy becomes truly representative and responsive. the Panchayati raj institutions are considered as local self-government meant for providing basic infrastructure facilities, empowering weaker sections of the society and initiate the development process at the grass-roots level of rural india, where the sole of india lives. the need for decentralization was realized long back but the recent effort to give constitutional back-up to rural local governments is significant. With the passage of 73rd amendment act, in 1992, peoples participation in the process of planning, decisionmaking, implementation and delivery system in rural india has been recognized.

the participatory approach helps us to reduce development cost, increase perceived and actual benefits and increase awareness among the people and help in the mobilization of local resources, facilitates smooth and easy project implementation. it further enables people to have access and control over the resources and ensures that the benefits reach to the legitimate claimants. it also creates sustainability aspect and gradually empowers the socially and economically disadvantaged people.

Devolution of Powers and Functions to Rural Governments

the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act has created three tier panchayati raj institutions in the rural areas across the country viz. (1) gram panchayats at the village level (2) Panchayats samitee at the intermediate level (3) zila parishad at the district level with allocation of specific subjects. Presently, in india rural local government comprise 2,33,606 village panchayats, 6,094 intermediate panchayats, and 543 district panchayats, making a total of 2,40,243 at all the three levels. total numbers of elected representative of panchayats at various levels are more than 28 lakh, of these nearly 37 percent are women, 19 percent belong to sCs and 12 percent belong to sts. All these figures are truely impressive, unmatched by any other country in the world. Table 1 Leadership Positions in Rural Local Bodies (Panchayats)
Panchayat level district Panchayat intermediate Panchayats village Panchayats Number Elected Women SC represen% % tatives 543 111,93 36 17 1,13,684 37 37 21 19 ST % 11 7 12

Need for Participatory Planning

Peoples participation implies active participation of people in decision making process, viz. planning, formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development programmes and in sharing their benefits. thus, participation does not mean only to involve the people physically in various rural development activities such as construction of village-infrastructure but also can be in the form of attendance in the meetings, interaction, involvement in tapping the benefits, and participation in the decision making process.
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6,094

2,33,606 18,50,334

source: Press information bureau, government of india, 2010.

according to article 243 (g) of the 73rd constitutional amendment act, the states are required to devolve adequate powers and responsibilities on the Pris to make them effective institutions of local self-government. the responsibilities for preparation of plans for economic development and social justice and its implementation in relation to 29 subjects listed in the Xi schedule have also been assigned to panchayats. as a result, village panchayats have been given more powers, functions and functionaries. these are ideally united to perform functions such as public facilities, roads, housing, drinking, water, electrification, a sanitation along with social culture, women and child development and family welfare due to their direct and close proximity to the people, especially were peoples initiative support and participation would play a crucial role.

Achievements
during the 17 years since the 73rd amendment came into force, the process of political empowerment of the Panchayats has largely been achieved. while Panchayat elections have been regularly held in all the states and Union territories except Jharkhand, reservations have been provided to the women, scheduled castes, the scheduled tribes and the other Backward Classes (in some of the states) in proportion to their share of the population in each panchayat area. state Election commissions and state Finance commissions have been set up in all the states. However, only eight states and one union territory have transferred all the 29 functions or subjects to the Pris. states such as himachal Pradesh, maharashtra, Punjab, tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh have developed few functions without matching devolution of funds. we note that only Kerala, Karnataka, haryana, orissa, west bengal, sikkim, dadra and nagar haveli and daman & diu have completed activity mapping, as envisaged in the 73 rd amendment.
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but Pris have little control over funds and functionaries. Most of these transfers, however, remain on paper without the support of adequate funding and functionaries. most of the functions listed in the Xi schedule are shared between the departments and the Pris and there is no clear demarcation on the functional domain of the two. the functions devolved to panchayats have not been deleted from the list of line departments. the control over functionary and finances has remained with departments. the generic nature of devolution and overlaps with department, drda, dPc and other agencies make the process of functional devolution meaningless. Further, many functions are shared between two of three tier of Pri. these, in turn, have not only adversely affected the efficiency and effectiveness of the panchayats but also not enabled them to prepare plan for economic development and social justice as envisaged by the constitution. For any devolution of function to be meaningful, it must be accompanied by the devolution of functionaries and funds. to this end, the essential step is to undertake activity mapping relating to devolved functions with a view to attributing each activity to the appropriate level of panchayat, keeping in mind the principle of subsidiary. training and capacity building of Pris functionaries is essential and devolution of financial resources must be accompanied by suitable strengthening of Pris through transfer of departmental functionaries.

Fiscal Devolution Governments

to

Rural

Fiscal decentralization to rural local government in india is meaningful only when the panchayats have adequate untied funds to provide public services assigned to them which requires assignment of tax powers to them. the fiscal decentralization envisaged in the constitutional amendment has the potential to significantly improve the efficiency of public services delivery in the country. the resources of the panchyats
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broadly comprise internal revenue mobilized by themselves through the exercise of tax and nontax powers, and resources received from the state in the form of devolution and grant from both the state and the union governments. there are essentially three type of taxes which devolve on panchayats; own taxes- the levy, collection and use of which vests in the panchayats by statute; assigned taxes- the levy and collection of which vests in state but its use vests in the panchayats and shared taxes, the levy and collection of which vests in the state government but shared with local bodies. the non-tax sources for Pris consists of revenues from licence fees, fines and penalties, rent/leases on governmental properties. But the taxes, duties, tolls and fees to be levied by them and assigned to them and the grant-in-aid to be given to them are left to the discretion of the state governments. therefore the fiscal mismatch not only between own revenue and total expenditure but also between total revenue and total expenditure of panchayats present very interesting picture and demonstrates that panchayats are facing a huge deficit and their own resources are meager to meet out the emerging fiscal needs and even the meeting out the committed liabilities. these

institutions should not only have the power to raise resources but also the right to use the funds as per their need and priorities.

Issues and Challenges

as per the implementable rules of fiscal decentralization, finances should follow f unctional assignments. but Pris are marked by their poor internal revenue effort and high dependence on grants-in-aid and assigned revenues from both Central and state governments. improving own resources strengthen the link between revenue and expenditure decisions of the rural local bodies at the margin, which is extremely important to promote both efficiency and accountability in the provision of services. but the resource mobilisation by the Pris is limited as the taxes like land revenue, house tax etc transferred to them by the state governments are less buoyant in nature. For local governments to fully deliver the potential benefits of decentralization, they need to be fiscally empowered. there is considerable need to rationalize the assignment system to enable the decentralized governments to raise revenues and incur expenditure according to the preference of their citizens. expenditure functions remain non-transparent and very

Table-2 Fiscal Position of Rural Local Bodies (All tier)

Year Total Revenue (Rs. Crore) Total Expenditure (Rs. Crore) Own Sources Percentage of Total Revenue Tax 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 27888.76 31380.05 35384.62 45028.70 52864.07 59881.83 26402.23 30105.47 34537.36 41812.50 51286.23 57672.22 2.90 3.60 3.00 2.39 2.16 2.28 Non-Tax 3.61 3.09 3.50 3.00 2.89 2.29 Both 6.50 6.69 6.50 5.40 5.04 4.57 Transfer Percentage of Total Revenue 93.49 93.31 93.50 94.60 94.96 95.43 Transfer Percentage of Total Expenditure 98.76 97.26 95.80 101.88 97.88 99.07

source: report of thirteenth Finance Commission (tHFC), 2010-15

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little expenditure autonomy has been given. it is important to specify expenditure responsibilities to enhance accountability, reduce unproductive overlap, duplication of authority and legal challenges. it is believed that more local control over expenditure decisions can make things better and improve service delivery. as state governments themselves are faced with several resource constraints, the revenue accruals to the local bodies are not adequate to enable them to effectively deliver the required standards of public services. an effective institutional mechanism is required for facilitating fiscal decentralization, for enabling the state to monitor the fiscal performance of local governments, identify those in financial difficulties as well as those exerting weak revenue mobilization efforts. it is also important to monitor the success of central government instruments (transfers, subsidies, local taxes) on a periodic basis. as far as the programmes of rural development are concerned there is some involvement of the panchayats in the implementation, monitoring and review of these programmes. However in respect of centrally sponsored schemes implemented by other central ministries or departments, the involvement of panchayats is either non-existent or minimum. it is important to note that effective implementation of rural development policies depends upon the responsiveness and capacity of local government institutions. involvement of local people can enhance accountability and quality implementation, but local performance depends on the institutional and political environments in which the decentralization process works.

achieving balanced regional development and participation and empowerment of the poor. Pursuing a participatory growth strategy not only makes the ensuring growth acceptable at the grass-roots level, it fosters capacity building for sustainable growth at different tiers of local self-governments. the success of decentralized programme implementation depends on effective transfer of function, functionaries and finances to local self-governments. this has not happened to the necessary extent. Fiscal decentralization, in terms of resource mobilization and strengthening the revenue-expenditure link remains weak. Panchaysts as a term have been narrowly confined to inter-governmental flows, excluding the massive annual developmental expenditure flows from the Central government to rural areas. these direct expenditures in rural areas by the central government compel our attention because their utilization rates suggest ineffective use in a context where the targeted objectives, ranging from rural infrastructure through employment schemes to rural sanitation, remain largely unmet. Merely routing funds to panchayats will not achieve result without physical monitoring of outcomes. However there is need to take up capacity building exercise on a massive scale for the panchayati raj functionaries and strengthen the accounting and audit system for the local bodies. demands for introducing transparency in the functioning of the panchayats holding regular election and meeting of the gram sabha and making public details regarding schemes undertaken and funds received and spent by the panchayats are being voiced. (Dr. Mohd Azam Khan is Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, AMU, Aligarh, e- mail azamkhanamu@gmail.com, and Dr. Tosib Alam is Research Scholar & Project Fellow, UGC (MRP), Department of Economics, Aligarh Muslim University, e- mail-tosib.alam@gmail.com)
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Conclusion
decentralization in planning and implementation of programmes, based on the principle of subsidiary, is an essential supplement to enhance resource flow in
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Panchayati Raj in India:

Retrospect and Prospect
Prof. Ranbir Singh & Dr. Preet Pal Singh
Rajiv Gandhi, the former Prime Minister of India, decided to revitalize the PRIs by according them a constitutional status. Infact, he decided to do so after realizing that only 15 paisa out one rupee for rural development programmes was able to reach the beneficiaries. Moreover, he was keen to create an inclusive system of Panchayati Raj for inclusive development.

he institute of Panchayat used to perform the functions of the raj during ancient period. it not only performed the function of system maintenance but also defended the village community from external threat. in other words, the Panchayat used to perform not only the police and judicial functions but also those of the defence. moreover, it enjoyed considerable autonomy. Despite some erosion in their powers as a result of the administrative, judicial and revenue system introduced by the afgans and mughals in the medieval india, the Panchayats continued to perform the functions of the raj i.e. the police and judicial functions during the pre-colonial period to a considerable extent. that is why Charles Metcalf, the Provisional Governor General of india (1835-

36) described the village communities as the Little republics. since, the Panchayats had, right from the very beginning of the British raj challenged the colonial regime and particularly during the revolt of 1857 also known as the First War of indian independence, the institution of Panchayat was crushed by British through severe repression of the village communities after the Crown took over of the territory of the East india company in 1858. instead of using the indigenous institution, the British created the offices of Zaildar, Nambardar and Chowkidar for the management of village communities. Besides, elaborate police and the revenue and police administration system were

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created by them which virtually gave a fatal blow to the institution of Gram Panchayat. this institution, as a matter of fact became virtually dead due to the penetration of the village communities by the revenue administration through the Patwaris, Quanungos, tehsildars, and collectors and by the police administration through Constables (Sipahis), head constables (Havildars), assistant sub-inspectors (Chhota Thanedars), sub-inspectors (Thanedars), inspectors, deputy .superintendents of Police (known as Chhota Police Kaptans) and the superintendents of Police (known as Police Kaptan). the colonial regime had created so much fear in the rural india that it had been degenerated as to acquire a subject political culture. this is clear from the two popular sayings: (i) Afsar key Agari aur ghore key phichari nahi jana chahiye (one should not go in front of an officer and in the rear of a horse) Kichar key phisle ka aur police key pitey ka bura nahin manana chahiye (one should not mind slipping in mud and getting beaten by police)

implementation of the Government of india Act, 1919. For instance, the Punjab village Panchayat Act, 1921 which had been moved by Fazl-i-Hussain, a minister in Punjab government gave such judicial powers to village Panchayats despite the perception of the colonial regime that Panchayats are engines of injustice. these changes took place because the local self government had become a transferred subject under the scheme of dyarchy and had been given to the indian ministers instead of having been left in the category of the reserved functions which had continued with the executive Councils of the Governors of the provinces. But, the transfer of petty judicial power did not create Panchayat raj. the raj remained with the colonial administration. it was in the above scenario that Mahatma gandhi emphasized the need for Panchayat raj. he was of the view that india can not survive if the villages die and these can be saved only through Gram swaraj i.e. their governance by the Panchayats instead of the colonial administration. Despite this stance of Mahatma Gandhi, there was little improvement in the status of village Panchayats even after the introduction of Provincial Autonomy in 1937 through the implementation of the Government of india Act, 1935. some initiatives were taken, undoubtedly, in the provinces like Punjab where the Development minister, chhotu ram had got enacted the Punjab village Panchayat act, 1939. but these could not strengthen the village Panchayats as they could not be implemented owing to the outbreak of the second World War and the adverse political climate that had been created by the individual satyagraha (1940), as the demand for Pakistan (1940), the Quit india movement (1942), and the outbreak of communal riots (1946). it was hoped that the Panchayats will be able to regain the raj after independence because of its advocacy by the Father of Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, who had played pivotal role in the struggle against colonialism from 1920 to 1947. But, this hope was belied by the makers of indian Constitution. they provided for the creation of a highly centralized federal system in which the centre was made very strong and the states were made rather weak. Above all, there was no mention of the word the Panchayati raj in the Draft of the Constitution of india. it is a different thing that the hue and cry by
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(ii)

Royal Commission on Decentralization

Be that as it may, the British did realize the folly of having destroyed the institution of Panchayat in the first decade of the 20th century. this is evident from the fact that the royal commission on Decentralization (1907) recommended the creation of Village Panchayats and this institution was created in all the provinces during the second decade of that century. For illustration, village panchayats were created in the Province of Punjab through the enactment of Punjab village Panchayat act, 1912. similar statutes were enacted for this purpose in other provinces too. But the British did not want to restore the raj (rule) of the Panchayats. they did not want to give the police and judicial functions to them. their objective was different. they wanted to lighten the financial burden of the provincial governments and hence created village Panchayats so that these could perform civic functions by mobilizing their own resources. However, these Panchayats did get petty judicial powers after the introduction of Dyarchy in 1921 through the
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the Gandhians forced the Constitution makers to provide for the creation of Village Panchayat as a local self government institution in Article 40 of the non-justiciable Directive Principles of state Policy.

Gram Panchayat Acts

consequently, the gram Panchayat acts were enacted by various states after the ist General election, that had been held in 1952, for implementing Article 40. Another reason for these initiatives was a promise that the indian National Congress had made in its election Manifesto in 1951 for the creation of Gram Panchayat as institution of local self government. For example, the Punjab Gram Panchayat act, 1952, created gram Panchayats and assigned them the civic and petty judicial functions. Likewise, other states enacted similar statutes for this purpose. But, the Panchayats were by no means given the raj (the power of governance). they had not been assigned police and revenue functions. Moreover, the colonial system of administrative control over the Panchayats remained unchanged. in the meantime, the Community Development Programme had been introduced on october 2, 1952 for the simultaneous social, cultural, economic and political development of rural society through community efforts. it was hoped that the programme will bring about a silent revolution in rural society by awakening the dormant forces of progress in it. the programme however, proved to be the proverbial God that failed. this happened because it was implemented by the district administration with the help of development bureaucracy and technocracy. consequently, it could not become peoples programme. the failure of this programme led to the setting up of Balvantray Mehta study team for exploring the causes of its failure, for suggesting the remedial measures, for examining the usefulness of the existing local self government institutions for this purpose and for suggesting an alternate system of rural governance. the team felt that the programme did not succeed owing to lack of peoples participation in it. it also felt that the existing institutions of rural local self government such as the gram Panchayats and the district boards can not ensure the same. instead, it suggested a scheme of democratic decentralization
14 14

envisioning the creation of democratically elected and organically linked gram Panchayat at the village level, Panchayat samiti at the block level, and the Zila Parishad at the district level. it was also of the view that the Gram Panchayat is too small and the district too large a unit for the devolution of a function of developmental planning. therefore, this task be assigned to the Panchayat samiti because the block had an optimum size. it was neither as small a village nor as large as the district. above all, the very word block was associated in the psyche of rural masses with rural development and it was also having the requisite machinery comprising of the BDo, the extension officers and the Gram sewaks (village level workers) for rural development. thus, the Panchayat samiti was given the key role in development planning and the gram Panchayat was to help it in implementing its plans. Where as the Zila Parishad was to play the role of supervision, advice and coordination over the Panchayat samitis and gram Panchayats.

Panchayati Raj Inaugurated

As a result to the implementation of recommendation of Balvantray Mehta study team, the scheme of democratic decentralization, popularly known as the Panchayati raj was inaugurated at nagaur in rajasthan by the then Prime Minister of india Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru on october 2, 1959. Gradually, it was introduced in all the states. Broadly speaking, two modals of Panchayati raj emerged in india. in the first model which was also known as rajasthan model, the Panchayat samiti was made the key authority, the Collector was given the key role and the MLAs had been associated with the Panchayat samitis and both MLAs and MPs with the Zila Parishad. in the other model know as Maharashtra model, the Zila Parishad was given the central role. the Collector, the MLAs and the MPs were kept out of Panchayati raj system. it was argued that rajasthan model was better for decentralization and that of Maharashtra for development. But, the word Panchayati raj remained a misnomer. it did create gram Panchayat, Panchayat samiti and Zila Parishad at the village, block and district levels respectively but did not assign them the role of governance. the functions of police, revenue administration and judiciary were kept out of bound from them. they were assigned only the civic and developmental functions. the Gram Panchayats did get petty judicial powers and in
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some of the states Nayay Panchayats were created but the real role of governance kept on eluding them. even the developmental role was taken away from them by the district rural development agencies (DrDAs) in 1980. As a result, the Pris were left with only civic functions. the fact of the matter is that they became shadows without substance. even the recommendations of the High Powered Committee on Panchayati raj (1978), popularly known as Ashok Mehta Committee, failed to rejuvenate them. the only exceptions were the states of West Bengal, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, which did set up vibrant systems of Panchayati raj.

Rajiv Gandhis Vision

rajiv gandhi, the then Prime minister of india, decided to revitalize the Pris by according them a constitutional status. infact, he decided to do so after realizing that only 15 paisa out one rupee for rural development programmes was able to reach the beneficiaries. Moreover, he was keen to create an inclusive system of Panchayati raj for inclusive development. Hence, he wanted reservations for the women, the sCs and the sts in these. However, the 64th amendment bill that he had moved in lok sabha in 1989 failed to get the requisite two-third majority in the rajya sabha. His vision was, however, later on institutionalized by P.v. narshima rao, the then Prime minister of india in 1992 by building consensus in favour of the 72nd Constitutional Amendment Bill which became 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1993. this amendment assigned the role of making and implementing the plans of economic development and social justice on those of the 29 subjects listed in the 11th schedule that are devolved on the Panchayats by the state legislatures. although, the spirit of the amendment envisages that the Panchayats be made self governing bodies, the self governance continues to be a mirage for the Pris even eighteen years after the implementation of 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act in 1994. the Pris have been denied functions, functionaries and funds in most of the states. even where there has been some modicum of devolution, autonomy is denied to them. it is a hard fact that at the most the Pris are the agencies of the central and the state governments for implementing their rural development and social welfare programmes. these can by no stretch
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of imagination be considered as self governing bodies. in other words, we continue to have Panchayats at various levels in different states but they have no raj. even the all out efforts of the UPA government in the centre since 2004 have so for failed to bring about any qualitative difference in this context. it is pertinent to mention here that the government headed by dr. manmohan singh constituted a separate Ministry of Panchayati raj and had appointed a highly committed person, mani shankar aiyer, as its head. he organized as many as seven round table conferences for building a consensus among the state governments for functional assignment to the Pris. He had also signed Memoranda of Understanding with the Chief Ministers of several states for the preparation of Documents on Activity Mapping by them for this purpose. he had also launched the rastriya gram swaraj Yojana (rGsY) for the Capacity Building of the elected represented of Pris. But no significant break though could be made in many states because of the reluctance of their governments to devolve powers to these bodies. Let us hope that the implementation of the recommendations of the second Administrative reform Commission (2007) for their functional and functional empowerment and the acceptance of the demands made in the 15th anniversary charter of Panchayati raj (2008) for the same purpose, may result in making the Panchayats self governing bodies and could enable then to have the raj even for the performance of the limited functions that have been listed in the 11th schedule. But this not only requires political will on the part of the state governments but also strong pressure on them by the civil society and the media. last but not the least, the leadership of the Pris will have to organize itself at the district, state and national levels for this purpose. it will also have to ensure that the Pris generate resources of their own instead of solely depending upon the grants from the central and the state governments. unless they do so, they can not have the autonomy in discharging their role. (The first author is Consultant, Haryana Institute of Rural Development, Nilokheri and the second author is Assistant Professor in the same Institute , e-mail : dirhird1@rediffmail. com)
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Planning from below: Legislation versus Mobilization

Utpal Chakraborty
Although initial legislation at the National level took place more than one and half decade ago, an effective initiation on the part of Planning Commission was observed first in the year 2006 when a set of guidelines were issued by them in preparation of the District Plan.

ecentralizing the planning process has always been a prime concern in post colonial india. Ever since the introduction of first five year plans the basic object was to achieve integrated and participatory development at the disaggregated level. But the initial and consecutive two five year plans that introduced and established community Development Programmes at the Block level were not specific enough as to enforcement and integration framework of such planning process. Although Panchayats were established from village up to the District level in the later part of 1950s following the recommendations of B.r. Mehta Committee but again the process did not take any concrete

shape for want of earmarked role and adequate resources to these units. during the second half of 1960s, the Administrative reforms Commission while accepting the relevance of planning and coordination amongst the implementing agencies also proposed for allocation of resources below the state level. subsequently, the Planning commission of the Country did not hesitate to issue directives to the state Governments for implementation of District level planning. No fruitful achievement was, however, observed, again for want of institutional framework at the ground level. Again, in 1978 Prof. M. L. Dantawala recommended for Block Level Planning as a sub-state planning process to

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have a linkage between cluster of village, district, state and National level. series of guidelines were further issued regarding formulation of Block Plan in conformity with these recommendations. the decade of 1980s witnessed the emergence of centrally sponsored schemes with an objective of strengthening the state level planning process followed by formation of two successive committees, popularly known as Hanumantha rao (1984) and G.V.K. rao (1985) Committee with the same objective. Both the Committees equivocally advocated for an institutional linkage of the process to have an effective outcome. Finally appeared in the scenario the historical 73rd and 74th amendments of the Constitution in the early Nineties that mandatorily provided for three tier local level Government from village to District with a specific objective of planning for economic Development and social Justice with an additional institution for formulation of local rural and urban planning at the District level known as District Planning Committee(DPC). ironically, despite so many ventures decentralized planning is still considered as a particular departmental exercise, be it brgF, 13th F.c or mnrEga. in this small paper we will try to explore various bottlenecks associated with the process.

Commission was observed first in the year 2006 when a set of guidelines were issued by them in preparation of the district Plan. some days after when the second Administrative reforms Commission submitted its sixth report on Local Governance became further vocal on the following points: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Development authorities to become the technical arms of the dPc strict compliance of the guidelines of Planning commission issued on 25th august,2006 in preparing district Plans Developing methodology of local participatory planning integration of District Plans with the state Plans Clear demarcation of planning functions among the local governments and planning committees.

Reviewing Legislation and subsequent initiatives

While Article 243G and 243W, as incorporated into the Constitution through 73rd and 74th amendments, empower the Pris and ULBs respectively to formulate their own plan for economic development and social justice, Article 243ZD provides for consolidation of these plans at the District Level by the District Planning Committee after taking into account the common interest of both the rural and urban institutions which include spatial planning, sharing of natural and physical resources, integrated development of infrastructure, environmental conservation and the extent and type of resources available , be it financial or otherwise. thus, like constitution of Pris formation and functioning of the DPCs have been bestowed upon the state governments on the basis of acts and rules framed by the respective states within a given framework designed in the Constitution. Although initial legislation at the National level took place more than one and half decade ago, but an effective initiation on the part of Planning
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Again, the Ministry of Panchayati raj (MoPr) since its inception intervened in strengthening the decentralization process through series of round table conferences, Model Panchayat Act and publication of roadmap for the Panchayati raj. they repeatedly highlighted the relevance, role and responsibilities of Decentralizated planning with horizontal approach. our 11th Plan document with a vision of inclusive Growth was rather more practical as to the process of decentralized planning. in its vision as to Governance the document, besides identifying the specific Centrally sponsored schemes (Css) for convergence of resources and enforcement of intersectoral priorities also short listed 12 steps as a process of bottom-up planning: 1. Assessment and priority setting through participatory fora like Gram sabhas and sHG networks. situation analysis using locally available data through simple methods supplemented by Participatory rapid Appraisal techniques. resource assessments from the various sources of funds available to them, including from various css Formation of a vision of development as well as strategies for attaining the vision by Pris through a process of interaction with stakeholders and local experts
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2.

3.

4.

5.

development of project ideas based on need assessment and situation analysis by expert working Groups at different levels of Pris. Consolidation of development proposals of the working groups. Prioritization of proposals and allocation of resources thereof Preparation of project reports in detailed formats. Vetting of project reports on technical and financial aspects by technical Advisory Groups of dPc. integration of projects into plans by Pris. Consolidation of Pri plans into District Plans. clearance of the Plan by the dPc.

converged manner, utilizing the resources of css. 5. state government to issue detailed guideline for decentralized planning leading to district Plans Planning commission to consider that a) assistance are provided to states to set up offices of the DPC as well as technical support

6. 7. 8. 9.

6.

10. 11. 12.

b) over a period of time, a local statistical system is generated by increasing the sample size of the nss so that interpretation is possible at least at the level of block, if not the village c) one expert institution in each state is identified for preparation of pilot District Plans through action research in partnership with the states and local governments

the document also stated that to ensure the proposals of different Pris merge into a District plan; it will be necessary to develop a framework, both sectoral and cross-sectoral, at the District level through a multi-level and iterative planning process with assessment and prioritization being made at the lowest level and then consolidated at higher levels. the plan document also believed that there might be areas where differences may arise on relative priorities but reasonable consensus can be arrived at through dialogues and discussions. to strengthen the dPc and to support decentralized planning, the 11th Plan document finally identified the following specific roles of both the governments at the central and state level as well as the Planning Commission itself: 1. DPCs being constitutional requirement need to be fully strengthened, not just as committees but as full-fledged institutions. dPcs should be assisted by technical advisory Groups for different sectors consisting of professionals from government, academic institutions and non-government organizations as well as civil society. DPCs should be encouraged to network with academic and research institutions within the district the Planning Commission, with the approval of line ministries, should issue common guidelines for preparation of plans in a

Finally, the National Conference of chairpersons/cEos of dPcs held on 16th and 17th January, 2009 at New Delhi endorsed the relevance of strengthening the process of functioning of DPCs, preparation of five years District perspective plans and annual plans, specific information and communication technology (iCt) support, database for District and sub-district levels, financial domain of Panchayats, spatial planning, consolidation of urban & rural Plans, capacity building for district planning etc. A functional manual for preparation of integrated district planning so prepared by the task Force was also endorsed by this conference.

Our Experience with DPC

it is, therefore, crystal clear that in paying due regards to the Constitutional provisions of mechanism for planning from below, our policy makers have paid serious attention to strengthen the functional domain of DPC. However, despite these rigorous and continuous ventures status of functioning of DPC is far from being desirable. in a very recent study conducted by the Planning Commission following were the key findings as to status of DPC: i. DPCs are not functional in most of the states. in a few states, they have not yet even been constituted, while in most of the states they are constituted but not as constitutionally required.
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2.

3.

4.

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ii.

several states such as Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, madhya Pradesh, orissa, maharashtra and himachal Prodesh have ministers as Chairpersons of DPCs , which hampers the participative nature of the planning process in the dPc DPCs are functioning effectively in Kerala, Karnataka and rajasthan. DPCs have not been able to effectively enable rural-urban linkages. Coordinated planning is not taking place and any joint project planning has not necessarily resulted in integrated project implementation.

iv.

v.

iii. iv.

Performing the central role in the preparation of Potential linked credit Plan (PlcP) for the district with the support of the NABArD reviewing plans of local governments and development departments during the process of consolidation, particularly with a view to ensuring that these address the district vision as a whole and are free of overlap and duplication overseeing the participative planning process to ensure that the process and timelines are followed Monitoring implementation of the approved district plan and addressing bottlenecks that may arise.

vi.

Again, as regards status of preparation of District Plans, the findings were as follows: i. only annual Plan for brgF have been approved. Planning process in Non- BrGF districts yet to commence there is no separate district budget within the annual plan of the state. dPcs do not have the capacity to consolidate the district development Plans in most of the states only constitutional formality is performed. there is no mind set for coordination or convergence or synergy.

vii.

Institutional mapping

linkage

and

activity

ii. iii. iv. v .

it is, therefore, imperative to think seriously for restructuring the DPCs keeping in view the state and district specific felt need. it is needless to mention that we have not yet seriously thought on providing separate official support to DPC. Apart from that some experts from academics and non-government organizations need to be included in the DPCs so that necessary sub committees may suitably be constituted to review the sectoral plans. As regards expected role of the DPC within the meaning and scope of Article 243 ZD the probable responsibilities outlined by the roadmap of the MoPr is worth recalling: i. Providing overall leadership to the planning process without taking away from the functional responsibilities of the local governments Leading the district envisioning exercise setting district priorities on the basis of consensus among local governments, line departments, civil society, academia and other stakeholders in development
August 2011

ii. iii.

After a prolonged debate at the National level, Article 243G of the indian Constitution empowered the local governments to function as institution of self governments for formulation and implementation of plans for economic Development and social Justice near about two decades ago. several conference and seminars held subsequently to make this empowerment operational. Although most of the states have by this time declared their policy of devolution through activity mapping but in reality there is a mismatch between functional devolution with fiscal devolution. As a consequence, in most of the state acts though the Panchayats have been bestowed with a lot of service delivery responsibilities there is distinct absence of fiscal devolution followed by transferring the services of line department officials working at the ground level in an effective manner. the roadmap for the Panchayati raj (2011-16) so prepared by the Ministry of Panchayati raj further states that in some cases, where the states have clearly devolved such responsibilities to the Panchayats, these are either still largely being provided in a top-down manner through the state civil service machinery or the ability of the Panchayats to deliver these is limited either due to deficient financial and administrative powers or lack of capacity and accountability of the Pris. services, therefore, continue to fail the citizen for want of a need-based ground level planning having a distinct vision and mission together with inter tier and inter institutional linkage.
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Activity mapping should, therefore, be considered as key to the success of bottom-up approach of planning. simple devolution of subjects would be meaningless unless such devolution contain the principle of subsidiarity considering the capacity and reality of governance at every level. a clear guideline to that effect detailing the steps to be followed in this regard should be issued by the Ministry of Panchayati raj. At the same time role of each tier of Pri should clearly be demarcated as to preparation of plan right from dissemination of information to its analytical outcome.

of the fund so that the subsequent installments may not be suspended. thus there is always an acute confrontation between qualitative and quantitative approach due to utilization phobia for which Css could be an effective support for integrated planning. if the decentralized planning has to be effective in true sense, the Css fund has to be made conditional towards appropriate devolution of subjects listed in 11th schedule. At the same time, Pris with Gram sabha have to be functionally empowered and capacitated to utilize the Css as a source of fund for integrated planning from below. on the other hand there should be a distinctly assigned role of Pris in planning and implementation as regards flagship programmes like sarva siksha Avijan, Mid day meal programme, drinking water mission, total sanitation Campaign, National rural Health Mission, integrated child development services, mahatma Gandhi National rural employment Programme and other National Programmes like Bharat Nirman and Jawaharlal Nehru Urban renewal Mission. similarly number of css should be reduced in conformity with the activity mapping and to be brought under the central control of the Ministry of Panchayati raj or the ministry of rural development. Finally, there should be a close linkage between state specific activity mapping and flow of Css fund.

Convergence with Centrally sponsored schemes vis--vis utilization phobia

Under Article 282 of the Constitution Centrally sponsored schemes (css) have been introduced by the Central Government for about last ten five year plans as special purpose grants to motivate the state Governments for attaining the National objectives. During first year of the 11th plan(2007-08), the Planning commission outlined that there are 99 such schemes which are controlled by 27 central ministries. ever since its introduction the Ministry of Panchayati raj has been trying its best by issuing directions to the state Governments to strengthen the Pris as a third stratum of the government in conformity with the 73rd and 74th amendments of the Constitution and its 11th schedule and to ensure the centrality of the Pris in planning and implementation of Css. there was even a directive from the Prime minister in2004 that all the central ministries and departments dealing with the Css should review the their respective schemes in the light of Article 243(G) read with the eleventh schedule in letter and spirit Unfortunately, in different studies at the National level it has been observed that such schemes are implemented by state Departments through vertical structure. there is neither any horizontal integration nor any involvement of end users in this regard and as such Css fails to reflect the felt needs and ownership at the local level. Although the Pris have been involved in implementation of Css as a part of the Constitutional mandate but this involvement seldom comes as a part of their integrated planning which is to initiate from the Gram sabha, rather Css become an isolated approach with a separate plan as per direction of the concerned line department. As a consequence there is always pressure from the line departments upon the Pris towards early utilization
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Does legislation ensure participation

one of the resolution in the National level conference held on 16th and 17th January,2009 was that peoples spontaneous participation is the key to the success of decentralized planning process. there is a prolonged debate in social theories whether mobilization to follow the legislation or the legislation should follow the pattern of mobilization. our learning from history shows that in democracy at least it depends upon the pattern of indigenous culture, traditions and style of governance and administrative styles which ultimately reflect the distinctiveness and complexity of various national identities, as well as realities and cultural diversities. Again, in a globalized society when we are talking about minimal state, we are accepting the relevance of private initiative, civil society and social capital in our governance system. ironically, participation in truest sense, at least in our case, is still not a matter of private initiative, if not a region specific political process. After the lapse of two decades from the days of our decentralization initiatives, it may now be
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recalled that in conformity with the global agenda our focus of decentralization was on shifting of priority from the government to governance of the country which directs attention to the role of multiplicity of actors and institutions in political decision making. thus questions in governance are regarding issues concerned with society and the focus is on coordination and self-governance as such, manifested in different types of networks and partnerships. (rhodes,1997)in governance discourse, therefore, decentralization means dispersion of power not only to rural and urban self-governing institutions but also to local self help groups, local communities and NGos. the three five year plans-eighth,Ninth and tenth instead of confining themselves to Panchayati raj or Municipal Government, have provided wider meaning to decentralization. Further, we should not forget that our efforts of decentralization in early 1990s were in no way a response to any pressure building on Policy makers from below. the initiative was a response to the demands of elite groups and opposition parties claiming for greater devolution which coincided with the contemporary global agenda.(mathur,2008) as a consequence people at the bottom level instead of mobilizing themselves for their own planning preferred to be beneficiaries of government Programmes. with the successive failure of desired level of participation at Gram sabha and Ward sabha it may now be concluded that only strong consensus and effective partnership building amongst different social and political actors with effective support of the state can help us to get rid of this situation. At the same time political actors should be pro-active to strengthen the participatory mechanism at the Gram sabha and Ward sabha level with full information on resource and need base of planning.

level institutions which was followed by a series of suitable institutional reforms. based on principle of subsidiarity, they divided the functions of different tiers of rural and urban local governments into activities and sub activities. Planning from below was termed as an instrument of social mobilization. With the initiation of capacity building of every level involved in the planning process right from gram sabha, each local body was required to prepare a comprehensive area plan with focus on local peoples felt need before they could claim plan fund from the Government. the major outcomes of the entire process, as detailed by the state Planning board, were as follows: 1. enabling the state to structure a systematic participatory planning methodology at various stages of developmental process initiation of the transfer of around one third of the annual plan allocation in the state budget to the local governments in the form of untied grants for implementation of projects as per peoples local need enabling to transfer fund, function and functionaries improving the capacity of local people and their representatives in understanding and identifying local level planning Motivating to improving accountability and introducing good governance practices Providing a voice to the weaker sections in meeting their basic needs to reduce poverty and enabling them to have a better livelihood option.

2.

3. 4.

5. 6.

Revisiting Kerala Experience

Kerala model of planning popularly known as peoples plan campaign is now well known throughout the country and even abroad. what they did during the ninth plan of the country was effective devolution of powers and responsibilities, functionaries and resources to the Local self governing institutions with a focus on peoples spontaneous participation. the entire process was initiated under the leadership of Kerala state Planning Board. With the recommendations of the Committee on Decentralization of Powers, popularly known as sen Committee, the then state Government decided to devolve a share of Plan fund to the local
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What was possible in Kerala with a strong background of literacy may not be possible overnight throughout the country, but what we learnt from this exercise is that an effective legislation is possible when there is a proactive base of mobilization or both the process run simultaneously. this was also the case of west bengal in the late 1970s in respect of its land reforms movement which paved the way of democratic rural decentralization even without a constitutional mandate. our entire exercise for planning from below would be futile unless it is run through both way traffic. (The author is a member of the West Bengal Civil Service, presently working as Block Development Officer, Sainthia, Birbhum, e-mail : utpal1960@gmail.com)
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Fire in the Forest

Kumar Singh Toppo. Kanker, Chhattisgarh

he vast jungles, torrential rivers, stretches of grassland, towering mountains and the infinite variety of flora and fauna are manifestations of nature, the basis of life on earth.

these jungles are bursting into flames every now and then? Yes there is a slew of Forest Protection Acts and measures in place. reserved Forests fall under the purview of Forest department can in no way be destroyed or encroached without the state machinery coming down heavily on such acts. But there is another threat, that from within. Within the forest communities who traditionally have been known to be natural protectors of the forest, which feeds them with its produce and takes care of their daily needs of food, medicine, health and utility items. somewhere there seems to be a gap, in understanding. Why else would the adivasis themselves light the fires, which destroy their precious forests? Forests are not static. there is growth, there is decay. trees, shrubs, foliage and the greenery

it is this bewildering variety of life which is central to our existence as a species amongst countless others on this planet Yes, it only follows that preservation of this environment; this balance is fundamental to our survival and that of all life forms on this earth. to weaken or worse destroy this natural resource would be a recipe for a disaster, one to which the world has woken up to. Closer home, however, things are not going according to this infinitely sage and innately sane reckoning. Forests for bastar and all those who inhabit the region, largely adivasis, is the repository of many life-sustaining resources, accessed by the communities. so why is it that

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underfoot all change with the seasons and put forth flowers, leaves, fruit, herbs and berries with the changing season. this is what the adivasis pluck and collect, use or sell in the local village markets, haats. the forests in Kanker district, in south Chhattisgarh too follow this pattern. Mahua is one of the most valuable trees which in spring after the festival of colours Holi puts forth abundance of flowers which the adivasis swoop down on during the season, scouring the forest floors for this dainty white flowers. there are many uses for Mahua, the most popular being brewing an intoxicating drink, a favorite with the adivasis. the state government has made it permissible for adivasis to brew 5 litres of this liquor, which is distilled using local contraptions. Actually mahua has multiple uses, amongst them a flour or atta made from the crushed flowers. it fetches a good price at the haats as well. this official sanction to brew country made liquor has infact made the community lethargic, reinforcing their natural tendency to be laid back sometimes bordering on anti-social activities. so why do these adivasis who know only too well, the value of the forests, set it afire during and after the mahua picking season, typically in MayJune? it causes widespread devastation. tender young plants which have taken root in all possible places in the forest are charred. the regenerative quality of forests takes a beating at this human negligence. one can make a calculated guess. to facilitate the picking of mahua flowers, hidden under piles of fallen leaves and twigs, the adivasis start a fire, without really gathering the leaves in a pile. it is meant to reveal the flowers without causing extensive damage. But there is nothing friendly about a fire, which is untamed, and it goes wild. even a small fire can simmer on and on till it virtually destroys everything in its path. scores of fires in the Bastar forests have lain to waste precious natural wealth. this is the tragedy
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of the region, of the adivasi mind-set. they cannot perceive a danger from an act done in the best possible intention. Fire is also for them an element in nature to be used. and it is not only in the mahua-picking season that it is used. the forest yields an array of produce through the seasons: kusum phal, tora, harrabehda all fruits, leaves and berries which find a market thus giving a cash income to the adiviasis to buy essential items like dry rations to stock up for the monsoon period. one of the prized forest produce used for making beedis is the tendu patta( leaf). lighting a fire near the roots of the plant, leads to the growth of fresh leaves of a fine quality, highly sought after by the adivasis and by the traders who supply it to feed a burgeoning beedi industry across the country. the adivasi connect with the forest probably dates back to a pre-agricultural era. Long before land was cultivated, tools for tilling, harvesting and irrigation were in use, the adivasis were picking and plucking forest produce and managing their lives. gradually land began to be brought under the plough and today what we find is a confluence of the two eras, two sets of life-styles. Adivasis today still collect forest produce, yet they also practice agriculture. what is unfortunate is that the form of agriculture also leads to a burning of the forest, the jhoom form, practiced extensively not only in chhattisgarh but also by forest communities across the country. somewhere this mayhem has to stop. And the onus clearly falls on the government who need to take measures to co-opt the adivasis into protection of the forests. this does not require a quantum change in direction, only a tweaking of the current practices, a re-orientation to the rhythms of the forest, which the forest communities have running through their veins. Forest Protection and all the right sounding slogans and programmes will only begin to make sense if they are rooted where forests exist and have communities live amidst them. (Charkha Features)
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Democratic Decentralization: A Study of Village Councils in Mizoram

Dr. Harendra Sinha
The present position of the Village Councils in Mizoram may be compared with the Panchayats of Indian states before the Constitution (73rd Amendment) Act 1992. Socio-economic development is beyond the scope of the Councils due to lack of financial and political power.

he village councils in mizoram are not as intense as the Panchayati raj bodies, often being criticized as irrelevant and outdated local self-governing bodies due to too much of governmental interference, no stipulation of fund and source of income. the present paper attempts to examine the deficiencies of the Village Councils in comparison to the Panchayats after the 73rd constitutional amendment act and suggested some measures to enhance its autonomy. democratic decentralization is one of the basic pre requisites of governance. it is an important apparatus through which democracy becomes truly representative and real. decentralization ensures

grassroots level peoples participation in decisionmaking process. Followers of decentralization point out three basic virtues namely, participation, responsiveness and efficiency. the basic idea is to de-concentrate powers and make public governance closer to the people. india, the biggest democracy of the world, realizing the importance of democratic decentralization, initiated the threetier Panchayati raj institutions (Pris) in 1958 with the objective of bringing millions of people into the functioning of representative government at the grassroots level. the 73rd constitutional amendment act 1992 further revolutionize the Pris. the 73rd

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amendment granted the Pris constitutional status and entrusted considerable number of functions and responsibilities in ensuring genuine participatory development process at the village level. the state of Mizoram has been exempted from the 73rd constitutional amendment due to the existence of traditional local self-governing bodies the village councils, created under the lushai hills district (village councils) act 1953.

out break of fire incidents etc. the village council also reports to the government the basic needs of the village like infrastructure facilities; inter village paths, to take remedial measures in case of poor harvest etc.

The Deficiencies Councils:

of

the

Village

the present position of the village councils in Mizoram may be compared with the Panchayats The Village Councils in Mizoram: of indian states before the constitution (73 rd the administration of lushai (mizo) village Amendment) Act 1992. socio-economic by a hereditary chief has been replaced by the development is beyond the scope of the councils village councils after independence. the lushai due to lack of financial and political power. the main deficiency of this local self-government hills district council, (village councils) act 1953 was passed under the Lushai Hills Act. No.V, of body is its financial handicap with no permanent source of income. although 1953 on 1st december, 1953. there is a provision for village similarly, the Pawi-Lakher The state of Mizoram fund, no permanent source regional council (village has been exempted from of income is mentioned. Council) Act was passed in the 73rd Constitutional moreover, people cannot september, 1954 to streamline Amendment due to the take part in the discussions village administration in the existence of traditional of village council meetings. Pawi- Lakher region. By the local self-governing bodies they cannot decide on any lushai hills autonomous issue pertaining to them in the Village Councils, district (administration and the village council. under created under the Lushai justice) rules1953, the district lushai hills district (village Hills District (Village Council Court was established councils) act, 1953 (amended and Pawi-Lakher Autonomous Councils) Act 1953 up to date), sub- section region (administration of (3) of section 13 reads, justice) rules, 1954, the no person other than a member of the village Village Council Courts were constituted in the council shall vote nor shall speak or take part Pawi-Lakher region (singh 1994:149). the Village in its deliberation and any person contravening councils are still functioning in the state and it this provision shall be punishable with fine not has been exempted from the 73rd constitutional exceeding rs. 50/- by the Village Courts. the amendment. sub- section (1) of section 25 of the Act provides, the Governor, by public notification, order the the main functions of the village council includes the distribution of jhum lands within dissolution of a village council if in its opinion, their jurisdiction in accordance with the laws, the village council is too inefficient or is not to enforce Hnatlang wherein all the able bodied able to carry on the village administration or is villagers which the residents of the village are acting in the manner prejudicial to the interest to render their services for the welfare of the of the state or for any other reasons sufficient village whenever occasion so demands, ensuring for such dissolution. thus, autonomy of the Village Councils as the local self-government in sanitation in the village and evict a person having mizoram is highly restricted by the governmental unauthorized occupation of land and can also order for vacation within seven days. the Village interference and without financial power; the village councils seem to be irrelevant local council is also the main agent of the government from which the government gets vital statistics, self-institutions (satpathy 1995: 358-362). the
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Village Councils have two major limitations as the organs of local democracy. First of these is the absence of the provision for a general assembly similar to the gram sabhas under the Panchayati raj system which enable participation of the entire adult population of the territory in the decision making process. secondly, there is a large nominated element in the membership of the Village Councils which reduces them to truncated democracies (Das 2004:142-143). there is no provision of reservation of seats for women in the Councils as well. 4

do not seem to have internalised democratic values. the values of democratic institutions are yet to be firmly entrenched in the Mizo society (Haokip 2009: 34-35). Lalzawnga made some comparison between Pris and Village Councils in Mizoram (Lalzawnga 2010:247). 1. the Pris has root in the Constitution of india whereas Village Councils has no such (Pris now constitutional bodies). Unlike two or three-tiers of Pris there is only one tier in Village Council. Absence of seat reservation for women.

2. 3.

4. While the duration of Panchayat is 5 years, village many village councils The Village Council, which councils term is only 3 years. have not yet been provided is expected to uphold the 5. election to the panchayats with office accommodation by is vested in the hands of state traditional customs and the government and district election Commissions whereas practices of the Mizo, councils. as such, the village the elections of the Village council executives and members is often ineffective on councils are conducted by have no place to sit together, the state Local Administration certain accounts thereby department. convene meeting, draw up plans rendering the rule of law and schemes for development 6. gram sabha provides a meaningless platform for public grievances and reconstruction, preserve and exchange of ideas records of meetings, case, and whereas, public participation books/papers concerned with village administration in village councils are restricted. (Prasad 1995: 138). Moreover, legally constituted 7. Power, authority and responsibilities of Village Councils are increasingly losing its power and Panchayats to prepare plan for economic development and social justice and the authority to the ethnic based organizations such as the implementation of such schemes (including Young Mizo Association (YMA), Mizo Upa Pawl (MUP) the matters listed in the Eleventh schedule) and Mizo Hmeichhe insuihkhawm Pawl (MHiP) etc. are not comparable to village councils. the Village Council, which is expected to uphold the traditional customs and practices of the Mizo, is often Village Councils and Rural ineffective on certain accounts thereby rendering Development the rule of law meaningless. the three constitutional although village councils are being involved bodies and other associations often function as rivals in the process of rural development process, it is and not as partners. the fact that works are carried not as synchronized as it is under the Panchayati out in a climate of tension and rivalry between the raj institutions (sinha 2010: 47). bureaucracy District Administration and the District Councils made the actual ground implementation of all the schemes of rural development in mizoram. the has led to slow and inefficient implementation. following table: 1 and 2 shows the responses as the problem is not only of development but is also who is responsible in the selection of beneficiaries political. the people of Mizoram are interested in and the source from which village people know sustaining the modern political institutions but they information of rural development programmes.
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 the beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries of rural development programmes explicate that majority (64.17) of the beneficiaries are in fact, selected as per the guidelines of the programmes of rural development--by the Village Councils. But there are also quite a large number of beneficiaries of rural development programmes being selected on irregular methods. 10.41 percent says that selection is being made by the legislators and party leaders, 18. 75 percent says it is by bureaucrats. the category do not know is 6.67 percent.
2

Panchayati raj institutions as per the constitution (73 rd amendment) act should be introduced at the village and district level with certain modifications in ensuring the existing traditional values the present Village Councils empowered with like the passing of orders under mizo hnam dan. two-tier model Panchayati raj institutions 5 at the village and district level should be introduce in mizoram. the name of the local bodiesthe gram sabha, zila Parishad can be named in mizo. the social mobilisation role of the yma, MHiP, MUP the largest non-government organizations in Mizoram will also be crucial to mobilise public opinion in favour of the introduction of the Pancahyat raj institutions. mass media and institutions of higher learning should play an important role in educating the people through publication, discussion, workshop and seminars etc. about the new Panchayati raj institutions and its feasibility in mizoram.

Table-1 Showing responses on the method of selection of beneficiaries of RD schemes Number of Respondents--240
Method selected through village councils, *village development council govt. officials legislators and party leaders Do not know total Number Percentage Responding 154 64.17

45 25 16 240

18.75 10.41 6.67 100

Conclusion:
streamlining the grassroots democratic bodies in mizoram is essential. development initiative for the rural people and autonomy should go together. it increases the opportunities for the popular initiative and participation in administration which ultimately strengthens democracy. the parties in power should show actual political will to introduce Pris or bring legislation in revising the councils. in mizoram where the villages are scattered due to geographical location, introduction of Pris will bring administration closer to the rural people. it will enable the rural people to participate in both decision making and policy formulation and to bring the assets of democratic decentralization-participation, responsiveness and efficiency in mizoram. (The author is Associate Professor and Head, Department of Political Science, Govt. J. Buana College, Lunglei, Mizoram , e-mail:(dawlasinha@ gmail.com)
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source: Questionnaire and interview schedule * the Village Development Council sometimes exists and sometimes dissolved as per the instructions of the government.

Suggestions:
l

the existing local self-government in mizoram was introduced by the Lushai Hills district council; (village councils) act 1953 which need to be reviewed as 50 years has passed since then. extending the powers of the village councils (if Pris are not to be introduced) through legislation, as effective and workable democratic institutions as par with the Constitution (73rd amendment) act is needed giving financial autonomy and reservation of women, extending the term of 3 years to 5 years, ensuring the decision making power the Village Councils.
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RURAL BUSINESS HUBS

ural business hubs (rbh) scheme, a central sector scheme being implemented by the ministry of Panchayati raj, is a participatory development model for the rural areas of the country which is built on the platform of 4Ps i.e. Public-Private-Panchayat-Partnership. the scheme was started in 2007. the rationale behind the scheme can be summarized as below. Panchayats can promote rural business hubs and achieve economic development through them. they can identify skills and endowments of people and natural resources in the Panchayat area. they could jointly organise awareness programmes to bring together the business interests and the community to a common platform and thereby facilitate acceptance of the business plan by local stakeholders. as the local planning body, Panchayats can integrate the economic development plan emerging from the rbh initiative into the overall decentralised planning process at the local level. they can dovetail and converge government schemes and other initiatives to facilitate economic activities

under rbh through infrastructure support to facilitate setting up of enterprises and continued community support through joint programs and partnerships. the scheme is applicable to the districts under the brgF scheme and all districts in north East states. Promotional assistance under this scheme is available for holding district level workshops, sub-District Level Workshop for appreciating the concept, identifying schemes & institution for convergence, preparation of action plan and time lines etc., and bridging critical gaps in skill/ infrastructure. Financial assistance rs. 60,000/- for district level workshop and `15,000/- for subdistrict level workshop is admissible. the maximum amount of grant for individual projects is rs. 25.00 lakh. about 70 projects have been approved so far rs. 6.03 crore has been spent till now in eleventh Plan period against total outlay of rs. 24.90 crore. For more effective implementation of rbh scheme and also with a view to up-scale the same,

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an independent evaluation of the scheme has been done through Edii, ahmadabad. the report submitted by Edii is under process for further course of action.

Panchayat Mahila Evam Yuva Shakti Abhiyan

the ministry of Panchayati raj has been implementing the scheme Panchayat mahila Evam yuva shakti abhiyan (PmEysa) targeted at elected women and elected youth representatives since 2007-08. the scheme has the following two components:- a) b) Panchayat mahila shakti abhiyan (Pmsa) Panchayat yuva shakti abhiyan (Pysa)

PmEysa are (i) Formation of a core committee, (ii) Formation of association, (iii) state and district / divisional level sammelan, (iv) Preparation of charter, (v) Establishment of state support center and (vi) sensitization programmes for multi-termers. so far, 23 states have formed the core committee and organised the state level sammelan. 13 state support centers under the scheme have been established which work as repository of knowledge and varied information relating to participation of Ewrs and Eyrs in Pris. training and sensitization programme under the scheme have been conducted in 12 states. 69 divisional level sammelan have been organised in 15 states. state level association of Ewrs / Eyrs has been formed in 7 states.

the Panchayat mahila shakti abhiyan aims to build on the substantial representation of women in Panchayats so that they can use their collective strength more effectively. PMsA provides women with specific kinds of support which goes beyond the usual training given to Pri representatives. the objective of the PMsA is to enable women Panchayat leaders to come together to: i) ii) iii) Articulate their problems as women Panchayat leaders, Discuss issues regarding the institutional mechanisms for their empowerment, Come up with a charter of issues to be mainstreamed into policy and advocacy support so that their concerns are addressed by the process of development adopted by the state and the three-tier Pri system, and] Form an association of the eWrs with elected office bearers and with cascading representation of eWrs from the district level and divisional level eWrs organizations.

Gram Sabha
article 243a provides that a gram sabha may exercise such powers and perform such functions at the village level as the legislature of a state may, by law, provide. Powers assigned to the Gram sabha, therefore, vary from state to state. However it is key to the self-governance and transparent and accountable functioning of the gram Panchayat and ensures direct and participative democracy. it offers equal opportunity to all citizens including the poor, the women and the marginalized to discuss and criticize, approve or reject proposals of the Gram Panchayat (the executive) and also assess its performance. in order to impress upon states / uts, the prime importance of gram sabha in decentralised governance, the year 2nd october 2009 to 2nd october 2010 was declared as the Year of the Gram sabha. states / Uts were requested to observe the year of gram sabha in a befitting manner giving prime importance to the gram sabha in self-governance and transparent and accountable functioning of the gram Panchayat. From the reports on action taken in this regard received from andhra Pradesh, assam, bihar, goa, gujarat, haryana, Karnataka, Kerala, madhya Pradesh, maharashtra, orissa, Punjab, sikkim, uttarakhand, West Bengal etc. it was noted that many new and
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iv)

while the economic return from the PmEysa cannot be quantified, the expected output is the formation of Associations/networks of eWrs and eYrs to collectively work for the attainment of the goals of decentralized governance in Panchayati raj and to increase the knowledge, capability and responsiveness of Ewrs and Eyrs to the demands of their constituents. the activities undertaken in
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important issues were discussed in the Gram sabha like drinking water, sanitation, women related issues, Primary Education, nutrition, immunization, agriculture, soil conservation, water, Forest, selection of beneficiaries under central and state schemes, social audit, Food security, and Village Disaster Plans. this was a welcome trend. some of the steps taken by the states to celebrate the Year of the Gram sabha were:l

there should be formal funding for conduct of gram sabha meetings either from schemes or from funds of gram Panchayat.

empowerment of Gram sabha can be a powerful weapon for transparency, accountability, inclusive growth and social audit. this can be and is being done in two ways. (a) in the guidelines of different ministries for central sector scheme (css), specific functions for gram sabha are being proposed by moPr. some states have also provided for specific functions of the gram sabha and ward sabha under their Panchayat Laws.

l l l

Creating awareness among rural masses for holding gram sabha meetings through posters, banners, advertisements and media campaign. Award for best Panchayats. helpline. widening the topics of discussions like: functioning of Panchayat, better delivery of services to the people, improving quality of governance in Panchayats, participation of people in development works, awareness of people on functioning of Panchayat, women empowerment at all levels. incentivized gram sabha for conducting regular and meaningful meetings. training on importance of holding gram sabha meetings, decentralized Planning, the rights and responsibilities of the gram sabhas and social audit by gram sabha. documentary films made on gram sabha manual on gram sabha prepared

(b)

some of the conditions which can improve the empowerment of Gram sabha are (i) increasing the range of subjects, particularly to cover livelihood, health, education, drinking water and sanitation, (ii) incentivising by taking care of the cost of gram sabha meeting, (iii) social audit to be done through Gram sabha only, (iv) More powers to be given to gram sabha under guidelines of schemes of different departments, (v) Powers to be given to gram sabha and ward sabha under gP act and rules (vi) selection of beneficiaries should be by ward sabha and (vii) Quorum of gram sabha should include at least 50% of the quorum number to be women. the voluntary disclosure by the gram Panchayat before the gram sabha on any activity like that prescribed by ministry of rural development under the scheme of mgnrEgs will achieve the twin objectives of empowering the Gram sabha and transparency with more efficient delivery of services. under the various schemes, which affect the people and require peoples participation, moPr has been taking up with other Ministries to give specific functions and roles to the gram sabha. the ministry has also been advocating that selection of beneficiaries is best done at ward sabha level particularly for larger Panchayats.
(Source Ministry of Panchayat) Kurukshetra August 2011

l l

one conclusion is that, social audit should be by the gram sabha. aspects of socio audit are:
l

gram Panchayat should voluntarily disclose information before gram sabha. gram Panchayat has the constitutional status with a mandate and is accountable to the gram sabha. mobilization of people should be done to attend gram sabha. the discussions should be recorded.

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FROM THE GROUND

Post 73rd Constitutional Amendment & Women Leadership In Sikkim

Dr. G.D. Bhatt
On the basis of the empirical data we found that an overwhelming majority of the women leaders of Zila Panchayats (80.3%) attended all the meetings of the Zila Panchayats and had full freedom for attending the meetings of the Zila Panchayats and did not need any escort for the same.

he political development of any region and the growth of democratic institutions, to a large extent, depend upon the quality of local leadership and its style of functioning in the Panchayati raj institutions. the success of Panchayati raj institutions itself depends largely upon the quality and competence of leadership available in the local level. therefore,

the study of leadership at the grass-root level carries a great political relevance as it throws light on the essential conditions of democratic decentralization. it is a well known fact that despite some general characteristics of democracy in india, each region and state has its own peculiar practices and idioms of local democracy and there are also

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considerable variations in the rural power structure in different regions/ states. as such, the factors influencing the demand for active participation of women in the Panchayati raj institution also vary widely from one state to another. therefore, unless the issues are analyzed in an area/state specific manner, the nature of the problems can not be properly understood. this study, therefore, would be a modest attempt in this regard and deals with a micro-analysis of women leadership in the Panchayati raj institution of sikkim after the 73rd constitutional amendment act. sikkim has adopted two-tier system of Panchayati raj- the first at the village level (lowertier) and the second at the district level (uppertier) and 33 per cent representation has been reserved for women in all the tiers. in the election of Panchayati raj institutions which were held in 2002, out of a total of 905 seats of gram Panchayats in the entire state, 297 seats were reserved for women and in the Zilla Panchayats, out of a total of 98 seats, 28 seats were reserved for women. But after election a total of 305 women in Gram Panchayats and 30 women in Zilla Panchayats were elected. For the present study, we have selected 260 women elected leaders as our respondents from both the tires. thus, a composite picture of the study is given below:

women leaders was married, but a sizeable proportion (13.5%) of unmarried girls was also elected for different positions in the Pris. the numerical strength of a particular caste (sc, st, obc and others) in a particular village is an important factor which helps women to gain leadership positions in the Pris. as far as the educational background of the sample women leaders is concerned, the study shows that in both the tiers maximum members had upto middle level education (34.9% in lowertier and 50.0% in upper-tier) followed by primary level education (27.6% in lower-tier and 25.0% in upper-tier). in the lower tier 9.5 per cent sample women leaders were illiterate, but in the uppertier not a single sample woman leader was found illiterate. the analysis of the occupation of the sample women leaders revealed that an overwhelming majority (93.5%) of them were engaged in household activities, basically in agricultural/ animal husbandry. it shows that occupation does not appear to be very significantly associated with political participation of women in Pris of the state. similarly, land holdings do not have much significance with regard to the emergence of rural women leadership in the Panchayati raj institutions. it also shows that land ownership has also weakened as a source of power in the local democracy of the sikkim. Economic status does not have much significance with regard to the emergence of women leadership in the Pris, since an overwhelming majority (78.0 %) of the sample women leaders were either below poverty line or from middle class families. An overwhelming majority (92.0%) of the sample women leaders were first time entrants in the field of politics, and most of them had not
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Socio-Economic and Political Background of The Women Leaders

the main highlights regarding socio-economic and political background of the sample women leaders of the Pris show that the rural folk of sikkim have a ready acceptance for the active women leadership of the young and middle aged. the presence of younger women in local political structure is also an indication of modernity, changing mindset and social change in the traditional social structure of the state. although an overwhelming majority (85.8%) of the sample
34 34

come from politically affiliated family backgrounds. this is a strong indication that reservation has opened the door for fresh women entrants to participate in local democracy of the state and the membership of sikkim democratic Front (sdF) has become instrumental in obtaining power positions in the Pris.

Extent and Nature of Participation of the Women Leaders in the Gram Panchayats (Lower Tier)
the main highlights regarding the political participation of women in the lower tier are recapitulated below: the women sabhapatis, Up-sabhapatis and sachivas were very regular and punctual in attending all meetings of the gram Panchayats. the lowest participation rate can be seen in case of other women Gram Panchayat members, as on an average only 45.5 per cent of them attended all the meetings of the gram Panchayats. As far as co-operation and co-ordination between women sabhapatis and other elected women leaders in the activities of the Gram Panchayats is concerned, the co-operation and co-ordination was only limited between women sabhapatis, Up-sabhapatis and sachivas and there was no proper co-operation and co-ordination between women sabhapatis and other elected women leaders of Gram Panchayats. Women sabhapatis generally ignored those elected women leaders of Gram Panchayats who were educationally and financially poor. the women sabhapatis and other women members of the Gram Panchayats were not discriminated against by the male members in the meetings of the Gram Panchayats. they were given proper respect by the male members in the meetings of the gram Panchayats and were not discriminated on grounds of caste and class factors.
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the husbands/male family members of the women sabhapatis neither attend the meetings of gram Panchayats nor perform their duties. the women sabhapatis have exercised their power regarding the implementation of policies and programmes decided by the zila Panchayats; deciding the type and modalities of the works to be undertaken in their respective gram sabhas; actively participated in the discussions and issues related to decision making process and actively involved in the process for the identification of beneficiaries under different schemes.

Extent and Nature of Participation of Women Leaders in the Zila Panchayats (Upper-Tier)
on the basis of the empirical data we found that an overwhelming majority of the women leaders of zila Panchayats (80.3%) attended all the meetings of the zila Panchayats and had full freedom for attending the meetings of the zila Panchayats and did not need any escort for the same. it shows that the dependency of the women leaders upon family members does not exist in the case of attending the meetings/ activities of the Zila Panchayats. it further shows that independent culture and confidence have developed among them either for the purpose of visiting the district headquarters alone or for making outside household trips independently even for long distances.the women leaders personally attended the meetings of the zila Panchayats and took part in the deliberations and always availed themselves of opportunities for discussions in the meetings of zila Panchayats if they desired to do so. in this regard we found that only those women leaders who had good educational backgrounds were in a position to influence the decision making process of the zila Panchayats and those who had low educational background were seen sitting silently and listening
35 35

to the male members of the zila Panchayats and not taking any active part in the decision making process. it was also found that an overwhelming majority (77.3%) of the sample women leaders of Zila Panchayats received co-operation and support from their male counterparts in the meetings of the Zila panchayats with regard to decision making process and presenting their views and solving their problems as experienced by them in implementing development schemes/ programmes in their respective areas.

agencies. As far as other women members of the lower-tier are concerned, majorities (64.4%) of them were on the road to empowerment and the remaining had zero empowerment as a result of their participation in the activities of gram Panchayats. in the upper-tier an overwhelming majority (80.3%) of the sample women leaders attended all the meetings of the Zila Panchayats; centper-cent of them enjoyed full freedom for the attending the meetings of the zila Panchayats and did not need any escort for the same and their husbands/family members did not attend the meetings of zila Panchayats. in this regard they may be treated fully empowered. But as far as the participation of the women leaders in the decision making process of the zila Panchayats is concerned only 30.0 per cent women leaders were fully empowered and the remaining had zero empowerment. the caste-based cleavages, social class configurations, patriarchal culture, poverty etc. did not appear as deterrents to political participation of women in both the tiers of Pris. the psychological factors that inhibited womens active participation in the Pris were shyness and submissiveness and lack of understanding of their roles and responsibilities. as far as demographic factors are concerned, only one factor i.e. low level of education can be treated as most inhibitor of womens active participation in Pris. the environmental factors like caste, creed, wealth, vested interest groups did not play any role in limiting the active participation of women in the Pris. (The author is Associate Professor in Political Science, Sri Aurobindo College (University of Delhi), Malviya Nagar, New Delhi; e-mail :hrsri_2003@yahoo.com.uk)
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Concluding Remarks
our study further shows that the women of sikkim have been empowered following their participation in the Pris as a result of 73 rd constitutional amendment act. but the degree of empowerment varies from tier to tier and women to women according to their power positions in the Pris. if a woman conducts panchayat affairs on her own, fully participates in the decision-making process and gets things done for the community by interacting with outside agencies, she is almost fully empowered. At the other extreme, if a woman does not come out of her house or remove her veil and signs on the dotted line (or gives her thumb impression) as directed by her husband acting as Pradhan pati, it is a case of zero empowerment . A woman, who leaves her home, goes out in the public sphere to a panchayat office, and sits in a chair near other men and women is also on the road to empowerment, even if she keeps quiet in the meetings. these are her first steps on the road to empowerment. in this regard our study of sikkim shows that in the lower-tier an overwhelming majority (89.5%) of woman sabhapatis have become fully empowered as a result of their full participation in the decision making process and involving themselves in the process of implementation of development programmes and interacting with outside
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Tagorean Philosophy:
Development Envisaged Through Rural Reconstruction & Love of Nature
Dhurjati Mukherjee
We who follow Gandhi Maharajs lead have one thing in common we never fill our purses with spoils from the poor nor bend our knees to the rich. .Rabindranath Tagore

he 150th anniversary of rabindranath tagore once again gives us an opportunity to understand and comprehend the multifaceted genius of this great personality who was not just a poet but a true lover of humanity. A littrateur par excellence, his love for nature and the human individual is well reflected in his poems, short stories, dramas and songs. it is rare to find a littrateur who was not just a poet but also a short story teller, a novelist, a dramatist, a musicologist and a painter whose influence and fame spread all over the country and even to the western world and the Far east, specially China.

tagore was wedded to the grass root level and had intimate knowledge and love for rural india, particularly rural bengal. as early as 1890, when he was looking after his familys estates in nadia district on the banks of the river Padma, his rural experience was seminal to turning the poet into a man of action. writing in Modern Review (november 1941), he talked of his experience during those days. the needs of my work took me on long distances from village to village, from silaidah to Patisar, by rivers, large and small, and across beels (meaning bayon to marshy

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tagores idea of technical education was intended to significantly increase the students tagore understood the enormity of the need but he was determined to begin work to ensure awareness of the social, economic and historical reality and the larger cultural context in which better livelihood for the rural folk. his objective of rural reconstruction was to generate education technological development takes place and scientific pursuits are carried out. He wanted and training in economic and social aspects which included awareness of health and hygiene a student of technology to appreciate how this technology translates into the and total development well being of the labourer, through cultural orientation. Tagores idea of technical the farmer and the small as he himself stated (in an education was intended entrepreneur. if fact, as K.m. article titled city & village to significantly increase oConnell, while commenting in Towards Universal Man, the students awareness on tagores ideas of education published by asia Publishing of the social, economic (2003, Rabindranath Tagore house, reprinted in 1967: and historical reality and on Education), aptly pointed if we could free even one the larger cultural context out: . he advocated a village from the shackled of in which technological teaching system that analyzed helplessness and ignorance, history and culture for the development takes place an ideal for the whole of progress that had been made india would be established and scientific pursuits are in breaking down social and . Let a few villages be carried out. religious barriers. he further rebuilt in this way and i shall observed his educated say they are my india. that wanted to devise the economic policies which is the way to discover the true india. emphasized social justice and narrowed the gap tagore thought that there was an imperative between rich and the poor. need to bridge the gap between city and village the lab-to-land approach that was and bring to the rural Bengal the knowledge and technical know-how possessed by the city. emphasized since the mid 80s was only a Keeping this in view, he bought twenty bighas of reflection of tagores ideal of carrying technology land along with a house, just two miles west of to the villages and properly equipping them so santiniketan, in a village called surul where he that agricultural production and productivity and revival of agro-based and cottage industries established the institute of rural reconstruction could get a boost. apart from this, he envisaged in 1922 which is popularly known as Sriniketan. the unique srniketan experiment operated as a education and awareness generation of villagers centre where economists, agriculturists, social in the realm of science and environment for leading a healthy life. workers and specialist in various fields of rural
38 38 Kurukshetra August 2011

waterways) and in this way i saw all sides of village life. i was filled with eagerness to understand the villagers daily routine and the varied pageant of their lives . gradually the sorrow and poverty of the villagers became to grow restless to do something about it. it seemed to me a very shameful thing that i should my days as a landlord, concerned only with money-making and engrossed with my own profit and loss.

industry and worked together to bring prosperity to the villages. the idea was that the villagers, when trained in self reliance and cooperation, would bring unity amongst them and free them from dependence on the city. moreover the experiments in Sriniketan to be carried out through extension work would go a long way in upgrading their standards of life and living.

the emphasis today on scientific awareness was propounded by tagore as he thought that science could alter the minds, culture and economy of rural india. Environmental concerns, which are being debated the world over, find reflection in tagores writings as he was deeply concerned with protecting nature, specially rivers and forests. he understood the role of nature conservation for its immense contribution to human welfare, both in urban and rural areas.

much say in the planning process. Economic decentralization, as envisaged by tagore and gandhi, has not yet been implemented in practice as the panchayats still struggle for funds. Both of them wanted complete power for panchayats and involving the people in the planning and development process as regards their needs and priorities.

the goal of self reliance was basic to tagores scheme of rural reconstruction. he Tagore-Gandhi Outlook wanted to work directly with the peasantry and there was much in common between tagore help them upgrade their skills and methodology of work to improve overall productivity. His and gandhi as the former had great respect for remedy was to identify young the Father of the nation and educated volunteers who his political ideology of social Economic would dedicate themselves emancipation of the poor and to living and working in the decentralization, as the impoverished. the stress on democratic and economic envisaged by Tagore and villages without fanfare or loud pronouncements. decentralization, which Gandhi propagated, was evident in this brings out implemented in practice tagore thinking as he wanted the importance of non as the panchayats still to pull the village from poverty governmental organizations and squalor. As tagore wrote (on struggle for funds. (ngos) in involving themselves october 2, 1937): Mahatma in rural development work. Gandhi has shown us a way by but the fact remains that most of the state following which we shall save ourselves but may governments have not been keen in enlisting help other people also to save themselves. their support though the central government has one may quote from a poem written by made available some funds which are indeed tagore on gandhi maharaj (on February 15, very meagre for this work. 1940): apart from social and economic We who follow Gandhi Maharajs lead have one development of man, tagore wanted to thing in common we never fill our purses with inculcate what he called the religion of man spoils from the poor nor bend our knees to the that is, to make the human individual conscious rich Rabindranath Tagore of love, fellow feeling and compassion for the community, irrespective of caste, creed and this is indeed a very significant and relevant religion. As he once pointed out: Dadu, Kabir observation at this juncture as the political system and other saints had proclaimed that purity and has become corrupt and there is no sincere liberation are not being hoard up in any temple, attempt to improve the conditions of the poor but are wealth to which all humanity is entitled. and the economically weaker sections of society, He envisaged a society where modern education specially in the rural areas. could lift human beings to greater heights free though political decentralization has from superstition and prejudice and make become a reality, the villagers still do not have them conscious of modern knowledge.
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Gandhi, has not yet been

this new society would herald unity and universality. it may be pertinent her to quote from tagore: We have in front of us, the problem of one country; the earth, where different races, like individuals, would have the faulty to freely bloom and at the same time show solidarity to the federation. what matters is to create a unity more powerful with broader views and deeper feelings.

tagore wanted a truly globalized world not in the sense that we have come to know but At this juncture with poverty looming large in the sense that globalization would allow free flow of knowledge from all corners which would and the high GDP growth having failed to revive particularly empower and equip the farmers and the rural sector, have we become paralyzed? Can we not take positive steps to bring happiness to the rural poor as also the young generation for the lives of the masses that are languishing in deriving greater benefits from their skills and utter poverty and squalor? expertise. He wanted to He wanted to raise to start with, in this year raise farming standards for itself as a mark of respect to farming standards for which Srinikaten has been the great poet some model which Srinikaten has been playing a vital role over villages should be taken up the years. Even today, this playing a vital role over in say 50 districts all over institution, which is part of the years. Even today, this the country and, starting Viswa Bharati University, has institution, which is part of from skill development all been carrying out activities types of help should be Viswa Bharati University, has in imparting knowledge extended to farmers and been carrying out activities of modern practices in other entrepreneurs so in imparting knowledge agriculture, soil conservation, that they could improve of modern practices in water management etc. their work capacity and

if we are to really cherish the ideals of tagore, it is necessary to ponder seriously about his plans of rural reconstruction which can obviously lift the poor and impoverished from poverty and bring happiness to their lives. as he himself said: what do have to offer to man, which new happiness have you discovered? As soon as a nation loses the vital force necessary for this discovery it becomes a dead weight a paralyzed member of the body of universal man. simply to exist is not glory.

agriculture, soil conservation, earn a decent living. though the poet will Moreover a few institutions water management etc. live in the hearts of many like Sriniketan should be both indians and foreigners set up in various parts of through his writings, specially songs, his the country to cherish the ideals of rabindranath philosophy and outlook of rural development tagore who vowed to give to the human i ndividual has great relevance today. that the rural sector a life that is complete and emancipated. needed a separate plan and methodology for development was highlighted by tagore and (The writer is a freelance journalist and also by gandhi for revitalization of the village author, specializing on developmental and folk and bringing them into the mainstream of environmental issues. He is also a social and environmental activist connected with life and living. but it is indeed really sad that various NGOs and is the Secretary of the State the urban bias in indian planning neglected the Habitat & Environment Forum (SHEF). e-mail : rural sector over the years though in recent times dhurjatimukherjee54@gmail.com) some initiatives have been taken.
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August 2011

Bio Metrics ATM Development and Recent Trends

R.Srinivasan
Deploying ATM for rural masses depends largely on banks stepping forward to take the requisite initiatives. The recent directive from the government on financial inclusion is key driver for the growth of such solutions in India.

utomated teller machines (atms) are now the heart of banking. Usages of atms have substantially increased in india and it is not uncommon to see huge queues of people in atms, especially during off business hours and holidays. AtM have brought down the work pressure substantially from cash tellers in bank branches, and many a branches may have deserted looks due to increasing usage of atms. the latest on the techno-biological front is

called biometrics. biometrics is digitized retinal scans; fingerprints, and voiceprints. the industry is becoming so big that there is talk of developing standards for biometric hardware and software. biometrics is also catching the attention of government.

Biometrics
What better way than using Biometrics, which has successfully been applied for identification purpose to validate passport and

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travel documents, entry into secured areas, and in authenticating or securing transactions, especially in developed nations. biometrics can be applied to uniquely identify an individual, based on his/her physical or physiological or behavioral traits, features or attributes, which include facial recognition (visage is such an example),DNA, fingerprint, voice recognition etc., there is still the issue of fingerprint spoofing or cloning (fake biometrics), but it is certainly easier to clone a card number, as it is currently practiced. in different counties, biometrics technology (fingerprint authentication to be precise) has been successfully used to combat atm fraud by financial institutions such as the western bank in the usa, banco Flabella in Chile, Groupo Financiero Banotre in Mexico, to mention a few. in developing countries such as nilgera,according to reports, atm fraud seem to be committed by mostly individuals linked to bank officers who are able to provide pin numbers and other relevant information required to commit such crimes.

the concept of using the iris for biometry was developed in 1981, before the technology to implement the idea was available. Leonard Flom, MD, and Aran safir, MD, two ophthalmologists were discussing the possibility of using the distinct patterns of the iris for identification.

Developments
with the development of biometric solutions for the atms there is no need to remember Pin numbers. software vendors are coming up the finger print solutions for the rural masses. chennai based Financial software and system (Fss) has recently launched its biometric atm interface solution (basis) that enables connectivity of atms with biometric support to electronic Financial transaction (eFt) switches elaborating on the working of the biometric solutions. Customers opting for biometric authentication can visit a nearby by

Benefits
since biometric technology can used in the place of Pin codes in atms, its benefits mostly accrues to rural and illiterate masses who find it difficult to use the keypad of atms. such people can easily pt their thumbs on the pad available at atms machines and proceed for their transactions.
m m m

History of ATM & Biometrics

atm or cash points, first introduced in 1961 by city bank of New York on a trial basis, allowed financial institutions provide their customers with a convenient way, round the clock, to carry out varying transactions which included withdrawal of funds, made deposits, check account balance, and later on included features to allow customers pay bills etc., there was no need for a cashier to be present or for a customer to physically AtM technology allows customers carry out the above-mentioned transactions using an AtM card, which could be a debit or a credit card. An atm machine authenticates the card by reading and verifying the magnetic strip, card number, expiration date, and an already provided or preselected Pin number.
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Provide strong authentication. can be used instead of a Pin hidden costs of atm card management like card personalisation, delivery, management, re-issuance, PiN generation, help-desk, and re-issuance can be avoided. ideal for indian rural masses. it is accurate. Flexible account access allows clients to access their accounts at their convenience.
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m m m

Low operational cost of the AtMs will ultimately reduce tco.

How does it works

with atms supported by biometric solutions, banks having a presence across the country are leveraging on this technology. the atms are networked and connected to a centralized computer (switch), which controls the AtMs. the use of biometrics identification is possible at on atm. the information can be stored at a bank branch. atms are so prevalent and you have so many people using atm that it becomes easy to use biometrics as replacement for an AtM PiN. the typical AtM has two input devices (a card reader and keypad) and four output devices (display, screen, cash dispenser, receipt printer, and speaker). invisible to the client in a communications mechanism that links the atm directly to AtM host network. the AtM function s much like a PC, it comes with an operating system (usually os/2) and application software for the user interface and communications.

via face, retina, or iris. Fingerprinting, however, has the advantage of being a familiar concept worldwide. some indian banks have started implementing biometric applications in retail branch applications for officer authentication. elsewhere in the world, efforts are on enabling payments through kiosks based on fingerprints (non-card based). AtM enhancements with biometric envisaged by vendors eliminate the need for Pin entry, and authenticate customer transactions by thumb- impressions. A simplified menu on AtMs coupled with possible audio guidance in local language enable easy use for rural masses. so far bank atms are dependent on Pin verification. the fingerprint authentication method is non- Pin based, and this requires enhancements to the standard switch environment.

Conclusion
deploying atm for rural masses depends largely on banks stepping forward to take the requisite initiatives. the recent directive from the government on financial inclusion is key driver for the growth of such solutions in india. Banks are quite aware of the untapped potential in the rural sector. the telecom industry is witnessing a blistering growth pace, and so is the internet. the national rural Employment guarantee Program that guarantees employment and payment in the rural sector requires robust solutions. using thumbprint and voice guidance in atms reduces literacy requirements to a considerable extent. However, the technology is not restricted to rural masses. (The author is Lecturer in Commerce, Sengunthar Arts and Science College, Tiruchengode 637 205, Namakkal District, Tamil Nadu. Email: srini.mphil@gmail.com.)
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Rural India
to reach the rural masses, banks are going all out in providing a user-friendly banking experience. to boost micro financing initiatives, banks are deploying biometric solutions with atms. Establishing the identity of a rural depositor through biometrics makes it possible for illiterate or barely literate folks to become part of the banking user community. in recent years the importance of biometrics has grown tremendously with an increasing demand of security in accordance of unique identification of individuals. it uses for identification in applications other than policing is on the rise. in view of the rapidly increasing applications, the scope of biometrics is also increasing, be it identification
Kurukshetra August 2011

Dasapushpa, The Auspicious Medicinal Herbs

Dr. Jayakumari. T. R.

asapushpa literally means ten flowers (Mal. Dasa = ten; pushpa = flower). But to the Keralites, the term refers to a group of ten tiny herbs which are important in the cultural tradition of their state. rather than the inconspicuous flowers, the whole plants are considered significant medicinally and religiously. on the day of thiruvathira which comes in the Malayalam month of Dhanu (mid december to mid january), female members especially, married ones of nair and namboodiri families in Kerala wear them on their hair at midnight after observing a fast and taking bath in a pond or river. this ritualistic convention called Pathirappoo choodal meaning wearing flowers at midnight is followed as a custom associated with the celebration of thiruvathira festival to worship the deities. the ardra darshan celebrated in tamil nadu corresponds to thiruvathira of Kerala. Each herb in

dasapushpa corresponds to a deity and wearing it with reverence is presumed equivalent to worshipping the particular deity. Pathirappoochoodal is presumed to bring relief from ailments and sins. curing the ailments by pleasing god is the essence of this custom. it is also believed to bring longevity, health and prosperity to the husbands. in the northern districts of Kerala, dasapushpa garlands are worn by women and girls even on other days. dasapushpa also form ingredients in the medicinal potion karkitaka kanji(rice gruel prepared with lots of medicinal plants, and consumed during the Malayalam month of Karkitaka-mid July to mid August, to ward off ailments and to strengthen the body for one whole year). the details members of dasapushpa are the following: in order to remember the names of these plants, a poem containing the sanskrit names of the plants is in use in Kerala.

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Sl. No 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Botanical Name Cardiospermum halicacabum Eclipta alba Cynodon dactylon Evolvulus alsinoides Aerva lanata Biophytum sensitivum Emilia sonchifolia Vernonia cinerea Ipomoea maxima Curculigo orchioides

Family sapindaceae asteraceae Poaceae

convolvulaceae

Common Name Malayalam uzhinja Kayyonni, Kayyunni Karuka Vishnukranthi cherula, balippoovu mukkutti Muyalcheviyan Poovamkuruntal thiruthali nilappana Hindi Kaanphuti, Kapalphodi Bhringraj, Kesaraj Durba Shankpushpi, Vishnukranta Chaya Lajjalu Hirankhuri Sahadevi Kala Musli Tamil Mudukkottan, Kottavan Kaikeshi Arukampillu Vishnukranti Cherupulai Teendanazhi Muyalchevi Puvam-kurundal Thiruthaali Nilappanaikkizhangu

amaranthaceae oxalidaceae asteraceae asteraceae

convolvulaceae

amaryllidae

Indravalli; Kesaraja; bhargavi; harikrantija; bhadra; jalapushpa; sambhari; sahadevi; thiru: thalapatrika. (Indravalli- Uzhinja; Kesaraja- Kayyonni; Bhargavi- Karuka; Harikrantija- Vishnukranti; Bhadra- Cherula; Jalapushpa mukkutti; Sambhari- muyal cheviyan; Sahadevi Poovamkuruntal; Thiru- thiruthali; Thalapatrika nilappana) 1. Indravalli - Cardiospermum halicacabum L. (balloon vine, love in a puff, heart seed vine, heart pea) Presiding deity- Yama.

the name balloon vine. the seeds have a white heart-shaped scar which gave the generic name Cardiospermum (cardio- heart; sperma- seed) and Cardiospermum halicacabum the local name heart seed vine. ayurveda considers this herb as diuretic, emetic, laxative and refrigerant. it is used to treat inflammations, itches, rashes, eczema, hives and allergic reactions. it is also used in the treatment of nasal sinuses. the whole plant has been used for several centuries in the treatment of rheumatism, stiffness of limbs, snake bite; its roots for nervous diseases, as a diaphoretic, diuretic, emetic, emmenagogue, laxative, refrigerant, stomachic and sudorific; its leaves and stalks are used in the treatment of diarrhoea, dysentery and headache and as a poultice for swellings. An infusion of the whole plant is traditionally used in the treatment of
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A deciduous, herbaceous, annual vine with tiny whitish flowers, distributed through out the plains of india. it is fast growing with trifoliate leaves having highly lobed leaflets. the plant climbs on some support with tendrils. the fruit is a light green thin-walled, papery, inflated angled capsule resembling a ribbed balloon, containing three black seeds. these resemble balloons and hence
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diarrhoea. Aqueous extract of the vine when used as a hair wash is suggested to address hair fall and promote hair growth. 2. Kesaraja or Bringraja- Eclipta alba (l.) hassk (syn. E. prostrata) (false daisy) Presiding deity- siva.

3.

Bhargavi- Cynodon dactylon (l.) Pers. (bermuda grass, dogs tooth grass, bahama grass, devil grass, dub grass). Presiding deity- aditya.

This short herb enjoys worldwide distribution as a weed in moist places. it has a flat or round, brown, much branched stem and small white flowers on a long stalk. the blackish-green leaves are opposite and serrate. the fruits Eclipta alba contain many black seeds resembling cumin seeds. in ayurvedic medicine, it is highly priced for its diverse range of health-giving powers, particularly with regard to its ability to overcome liver disorders like cirrhosis, hepatitis, liver enlargement, jaundice etc. it is considered especially good for promoting the growth of hair and making them black and lustrous, which bestowed the name kesaraj meaning king of hair. Application of its paste in glandular swellings and filariasis, is known to mitigate swelling and pain. the fresh juice of the plant is instilled in the ears and eyes in otitis and conjunctivitis to ameliorate pain. the massage with its fresh juice is effective in alleviating headache. the nasal drops of its juice, mixed with milk, are beneficial in migraine. eclipta has antifungal properties and is rejuvenative. it is used against anemia, dysentery, eye diseases, asthma etc. the juice of the plant together with honey, is used to treat upper respiratory congestion in children. a black dye obtained from the leaves is used for dyeing hair and tattooing. it has traditional external uses, like athlete foot, eczema and dermatitis. the leaves have been used in the treatment of scorpion stings and also as anti venom against snake bite in china and brazil. intake of the extract of the plant along with the oil made from it is found to cure premature graying of hair and balding. one newly discovered benefit of the herb is its ability to reduce high blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and to improve kidney function.
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it is a tiny, perennial, creeping grass which prefers moist and warm climates with high light. the leaves are gray green, vaying in length from 1-10 cm, narrow and tapering towards the apex. the flowers are small and green in terminal spikes. the fruit grains are tiny Curculigo orchioides and grayish in colour. the plant reproduces through seeds, runners and rhizomes. A fast growing herb, it forms dense mats on the ground. it is highly aggressive due to rooting at all nodes, crowding out most other grasses and invading other habitats. this invasive nature leads some gardeners to give it the name devil grass. due to this nature, the plant is commonly used as a pasture grass or as a turf grass. in india, it is the most sacred plant next to tulsi. Hindus worship the God Ganesa with garlands made of the leaves of this plant religiously. the whole plant is used for medicinal purposes, externally as well as internally. it has been recognized for its cooling, diuretic, depurative and tonic properties since ancient times. being haemostatic, refrigerant, healer and beneficial for skin complexion, it is extremely beneficial, externally in wounds, haemorrhages, burning sensation and dispigmentations of the skin. the paste of leaves or their medicated oil is applied in traumatic wounds and piles. in catarrhal conditions of the eyes, the fresh fuice of the plants is instilled into eyes. the same fuice, effectively controls the nasal bleeding , when used as nasal drops. the paste of the plant is applied on forehead in headache due to vitiation of pitta dosha. internally, it is used in the treatment of epilepsy and hysteria and in conditions associated with pain, due to vitiation of vata dosa. it can effectively arrest bleeding in dysentery, piles, haematuria, epistaxis, menorrhagia, diarrhea, raktapitta etc. it checks the uterine bleeding,
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strengthens the uterus, averts abortion and augments foetal growth. the plant juice given along with rice water and rock candy, curbs vomiting. it is useful as a general tonic and aphrodisiac. it is also a good anti-toxin. 4. Harikrantija- Evolvulus alsinoides (slender Dwarf Morning Glory). Presiding deity- sreekrishna.

and harikrantija, maharishi charaka acclaimed harikrantija to be the best. the fresh juice of the plant stimulates appetite, is a mild laxative and deflatulent. it is also useful in cough and hoarseness of voice. due to its diuretic property, it is useful in urinary disorders and hypertension. it promotes conception in female and is rewarding as an aphrodisiac in sexual debility in males. 5. Bhadra- Aerva lanata (l.) juss. ex schult. Presiding deity- Yamadharma.

it is a small, perennial herb with prostrate, wiry branches arising from a small woody rootstock. the leaves are small, elliptic to oblong, densely clothed with silky hair. Funnel-shaped, blue flowers arise mostly solitary in Evolvulus_alsinoides the terminal axils. the fruits are small globose capsules. the plant grows wildly in open grassy places throughout india. externally, the medicated oil of the herb is useful as a hair tonic, to promote the hair growth and to prevent premature graying and falling of hair. its paste is also applied externally in skin diseases. internally, the plant is used in a vast range of diseases. the plant has got antidysenteric and antiseptic properties. the decoction of the plant along with cumin and milk is used against fever, nervous debility, internal haemorrhages, syphilis etc. it is used as a brain tonic for improving memory. the leaves are used in treating chronic bronchitis and asthma. the root is used against childhood fever. this herb is effective in reducing symptoms associated with anxiety, panic attacks, nervousness and insomnia. the whole plant juice was traditionally used in various mental disorders. as one of the best pshychotropic drugs, this herb was held in high esteem by the ancient sages of india. in epilepsy and hysteria, the fresh plant juice of sankhapuspi is recommended with Saussuarea lappa powder and honey. sarasvata choorna is one of the most popular preparations, given along with honey and followed by milk. Amongst the three main herbal brain tonics brahmi, vaca
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A many-branched, woody, perennial plant with white clusters of flowers at the axils of leaves. the simple leaves are alternate and elliptical, becoming smaller towards the apex. the plant is the best known remedy for bladder Aereva lanta and kidney stones. Ayurvedic practitioners recommend a decoction of the plant to be taken internally for a few days to dissolve the stone away. Decoction of the roots used in headache and also as demulcent. it is also given as tonic to pregnant women. its diuretic nature makes it effective in the treatment of gonorrhea and urinary and kidney disorders. it is also recommended for cutaneous affections and diabetes. 6. Jalapushpa- Biophytum sensitivum (l.) dc. (Life plant). Presiding deity- sree Parvathy.

A common weed found in wet lands (mostly plains) of tropical africa, asia and india in the shade of trees and shrubs. it is a very small herb resembling a miniature palm with a few pinnately compound leaves biophytum sensitivum arising from the top of the shoot. each leaf has 8-17 pairs of leaflets which are remarkable with the property of folding together (sleep movement) when stimulated. the flowers, produced in an umbellate cluster are small and
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yellow with a red streak in the centre of the petals. it is a traditional oriental herbal medicine known for its immunostimulatory and antitumor effects. it is used as a tonic, and in the treatment of stomache ache, diadetes and asthma. it is used against scorpion stings. it also has hypocholesterolemic effect. 7. Sambhari- Emilia sonchifolia (l.) dc. ex Wight (floras paintbrush, Cupids shaving brush or lilac tassel flower). Presiding deity- Kama (Cupid).

A small, annual herb with hairy stem often branched at the base, very deeply and irregularly toothed leaves with narrow wings at the base and purple composite flowers. Plant pacifies vitiated kapha, vata, conjunctivitis, worm infestations, tonsillitis, bleeding piles, cuts, ulcers, intermittent fever and allergy. tea made from the leaves is used against dysentery. the Emilia sonchifolia juice of the leaves is used in treating eye inflammations, night blindness and sore ears. the plant is depurative, diuretic, febrifuge and sudorific. it is used in the treatment of infantile tympanites and bowel complaints. the root is used in the treatment of diarrhoea. 8. Sahadevi- Vernonia cinerea L. (ironweed or little ironweed). Presiding deity- Brahma.

cordate or heart-shaped leaves blotched with brownish or purplish patches towards the centre, and bell-shaped flowers in umbellate axillary cymes. Fruits Ipomoea sepiaria are ovoid capsules with 2-4 grey coloured seeds. the juice of the plant has diuretic properties. Plant pacifies vitiated pitta, sterility in women, urinary retention, constipation, and gynecological disorders. the stem and root are used in treating arsenic poisoning. Juice of the plant is diuretic and deobstruent, and used in herbal shampoos. (note: Manthrogora officianalum and Ipomoea maxima of the same family are often referred to as thiruthali). 10. Thalapatrika- Curculigo orchioides gaetrn. (Black musli). Presiding deity- Goddess earth.

Annual, erect branching herb, 15-150 cm tall with variably shaped leaves. the upper leaves are narrower, smaller and subsessile, and the lower ones petiolate. Capitula with violet or pinkish-violet flowers. extract from seeds is found effective against round worms and thread worms. the plant is also used against coughs, flatulence, intestinal colic, leucoderma, psoriasis and other chronic skin diseases. infusion of Vernonia cinerea the herb makes a useful combination with quinine against malaria. Fresh juice of the herb when instilled into the eyes will reduce inflammation and keeps the eyes healthier. 9. Thiruthali- Ipomoea sepiaria roxb. (Purple heart glory) Presiding deity- sree Bhagavathy.

A herbaceous, tuberous, perennial with a short or elongate root stock bearing several fleshy lateral roots, Leaves sessile or petiolate and linear. Yellow Flowers formed in racemes. tuberous roots are used against skin troubles. Also considered carminative, demulcent, diuretic and tonic. it is an ingredient in herbal formulations used for treating piles, diarrhoea, jaundice, asthma etc. Due to overexploitation, the Curculigo orchioides plant has become very rare in Kerala households and is on the verge of extinction. Growing these plants in the household and treating them with reverence are assumed to be equivalent to worshipping the respective deities which in turn is thought to bring health, wealth and prosperity to the worshippers. these ten plants, in addition to their religious significance serve as ingredients of home remedies against various ailments. Preservation and utilization of this precious gift of nature demand supreme priority as it can create a healthy folk in the country. [The author is Associate Professor in Botany,H. H. The Maharajas Govt. College for Women, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala E mail: jayakumari.tr@gmail.com]
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A small, annual, twining herb found in forests and areas of water proximity. the plant produces
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