Decentralisation in Contemporary India: Status, Issues and the Way Forward

Description

This volume examines the process of decentralisation in India since the 1992 legislations which devolved powers to local government bodies to ensure greater participation in local governance and planning. It studies the functioning of gram sabhas, panchayats, school development committees, water supply and sanitation committees, welfare associations, and rural development schemes like the MGNREGS, analysing their effectiveness and tracing the political, administrative and fiscal powers the local government wields. With case studies from different Indian states, the book examines the functioning of local governance mechanisms and institutions in relation to crucial issues such as citizen participation, participation of women and disadvantaged groups, fiscal decentralization, peace-building, economic development, and education among others. Comprehensive and insightful, this book will be an essential read for scholars and researchers of development studies, political science, public policy, governance studies, regional development, political economy, political sociology, and public administration, and South Asian studies especially those focusing on India. Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Table of Contents List of figures List of tables List of contributors Foreword Preface and Acknowledgements Part I Introduction Chapter 1 Working of decentralised governance in contemporary India Part II Mechanisms to facilitate people’s participation and women empowerment Chapter 2 Are citizens participating in Grama Sabha to improve service delivery?: Evidence from Karnataka Chapter 3 A quarter-century of the Women Component Plan at the rural grassroots level in Kerala: A case study of Mutholy Grama Panchayat Part III Fiscal decentralisation Chapter 4 Fiscal decentralisation at the sub-state level in India: A study of Karnataka State Chapter 5 Issues in fiscal decentralisation in Chhattisgarh State: A study Part IV Sectoral aspects of decentralisation Chapter 6 Peace-building and economic development through decentralisation: A case study of conflict-affected Jammu and Kashmir Chapter 7 Landslides, decentralised government, and the MGNREGS: A study in Sikkim and Darjeeling Chapter 8 Decentralised delivery of school education: Evidence from Karnataka Chapter 9 Is decentralised planning a success or failure?: Case of rural water supply in Kerala Chapter 10 Functioning of Village Water and Sanitation Committees (VWSC) and sustainability of community-led water projects: An exploratory study of some tribal villages in Odisha State Part V Urban decentralisation Chapter 11 Urban decentralisation and local governance in the context of urban centralisation: Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh Chapter 12 Citizens’ participation in local governance: A study of Residents Welfare Associations in Delhi Index