-The Hindu Kerala and Karnataka have shown how democratic decentralisation has worked in their favour Mahatma Gandhi envisioned that a free India would rest on a foundation of gram panchayats, village republics that governed locally and epitomised Swaraj in practice. B.R. Ambedkar was sceptical; he described the caste-ridden, unequal village society as a cesspool. Yet, he was not unequivocally against decentralisation. Locally relevant initiatives The 73rd Constitutional Amendment mandates the constitution of panchayats at...

-The Indian Express Over the last several days, various organisations in Punjab have been protesting against a revised land policy relating to village common land, which is known as ‘shamlat’ land. Over the last several days, various organisations in Punjab have been protesting against a revised land policy relating to village common land, which is known as ‘shamlat’ land. The state Cabinet recently approved an amendment to the Village Common Land (Regulation)...

-The Indian Express The PIL sought to end “unlawful activities in the name of cow vigilantism” and submits to have been filed in the interest of the Dalit community, particularly on the behalf of those in villages. Ahmedabad: In a public interest litigation (PIL) filed at the Gujarat High Court (HC) in 2016, following the atrocities on Dalits in Una alleging killing of cows, the respondents sought time to reply on action...

-The Indian Express Five years down the line, official data shows that the progress of SAGY has been sluggish — about two-thirds of Lok Sabha MPs are yet to select gram panchayats under Phase-4 of the scheme. In his first Independence Day address from the ramparts of the Red Fort in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY) as part of nation-building, urging Lok Sabha MPs...

-Financial Express If panchayat allocations are merged with MGNREGA to aid asset creation, it can trigger infrastructure growth, resulting in extra income and improved conditions. There is a lot of debate around 5% GDP growth and its impact on the organised sector. Although the government has been taking multiple steps to trigger the economy, there is a need to focus on rural India, in terms of optimising of fund allocations and revision...