M A I N   N E W S

Punjab may get stick on panchayati raj
Sarbjit Dhaliwal
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 9
The Badal government, which continues to dodge the Centre on the empowerment of panchayati raj institutions and elections to block samitis and zila parishads on one pretext or the other, is likely to get stick at a meeting of Panchayati Raj Ministers on July 11 in Delhi.

The Rural Development Minister, Mr Venkaiah Naidu, has convened a meeting of the Ministers concerned of all states to discuss important issues pertaining to panchayati raj institutions and violations of laws by certain states to undermine the importance of such institutions.

Contrary to its strong advocacy for strengthening democracy at the grassroots level, the Badal government has not held elections to the block samitis and zila parishads and has also failed to give more powers to panchayats.

The elections to the block samitis and zila parishads were due to be held in October, 1999, but the government kept these in abeyance inventing various excuses. The state government had stated that it would issue an ordinance to make amendments to the Panchayati Raj Act and the elections would follow the ordinance. The government seems to be deliberately delaying the ordinance. In fact, the proposal to issue the ordinance was cleared by the Council of Ministers several months ago.

The issue of giving more powers to the panchayats has been hanging fire for the past several years. The Centre had suggested the three Fs formula to transfer powers to panchayats. It means the transfer of functions, functionaries and funds to panchayats by the state government concerned.

At least nothing has happened yet in Punjab as far as the implementation of the three Fs formula is concerned. Earlier, the Beant Singh government dithered on this issue. And the same approach has been adopted by the Badal government. First the Badal government set up a cabinet subcommittee about three years ago to prepare a case for giving more powers to the panchayats. But it did not make any headway on the issue.

Later another committee was set up under a senior officer of the Panchayati Raj Department on the same issue. This committee is expected to submit its report within a month or so. It is difficult to guess how long it will take to actually empower panchayats. “Though everyone especially the Akalis, talk of the decentralisation of powers, actually the thrust is on further centralisation of powers”, said an Akali Minister.

The Union Government had earlier withheld grants to the panchayati raj institutions because of the Punjab Government’s dilly-dallying on giving more powers to panchayats and the holding of elections to the block samitis and zila parishads. This time the Centre is expected to use more tough measures against Punjab to compel it to follow the Panchayati Raj Act in letter and in spirit.

The Union Government has received upsetting reports pertaining to the functioning of panchayati raj institutions in the states. The bureaucracy, instead of allowing these, institutions to function smoothly, continues to lord over these, virtually reducing these to dummies. The Union Government wanted that the bureaucrats and their subordinates should have no power to suspend the elected representatives of panchayats, block samitis and zila parishads. For political reasons, bureaucrats often suspend panchayats and remove sarpanches and panches, submitting to the wishes of their political masters.

The Union Government is expected to come out with a proposal to set up independent tribunals at the state level to listen to complaints against representatives of rural local self-government and recommend suitable action.

The Centre is opposed to the setting up of parallel bodies like village development councils, committees or societies as is being done by states like Haryana and Andhra Pradesh. The Centre wants that the state governments should route all grants for the development of villages through the elected panchayats.

The Centre is also piqued by the fact that most states have not set up district planning committees for the development of the rural areas. The objective behind this scheme was to introduce the “bottom -up” concept of development. In other words, the schemes for the development of the rural areas should be initiated at the village level with the consent of the elected panches and sarpanches and approval to these should be given by the district planning committees having a substantial representation of sarpanches and other elected representatives.

However, as most state governments want to keep all such processes in their own hands, they have ignored the Centre’s directive in this connection. Another important issue to be taken up at the meeting relates to the holding of meetings of panchayats once in three months. The Centre has suggested January 26, May 1, August 15 and October 2 as permanent dates for holding such meetings.