“It is a new model of development”

Popat Pawar, Sarpanch, Jore Bazar panchayat, Maharashtra Panchayatiraj helped the villages to make real Gandhiji's dream of Gram Swaraj. It brought development programmes to the village. The biggest sign of its success is participation of youths in local governance. Earlier, only elderly people took interest in functioning of Panchayat affairs.

“Roles of village head are increasing”

Vijay Kumar, State Village Heads Association, Bihar People participated in panchayat elections with great hopes. But that is coming down in Bihar. This is due to disillusionment of people with this institution. However, panchayatiraj has has raised power consciousness among people; local administration and elected members of parliament and legislative assembly feel the heat of it. The role of the village head has been increasing in local development.

“Basic service delivery has improved”

SM Vijayanand Additional secretary, Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India Panchayatiraj has improved delivery of essential public services. It has helped in transforming old model of public delivery essentials. In Kerala, delivery of services like sanitation, drinking water and education has improved a lot due to panchayats. It helped in poverty reduction.

“Has space for women leadership”

Shalini Gupta, Head, Domchach Block Panchayat, Jharkhand It was a new idea of governance for the bureaucracy but not for people who had their own system of local governance. I see the bureaucrats get offended by representative like me asking them to get things done. Being a woman representative is another disadvantage.

“For tribals, panchayatiraj has not helped”

Dayamani Barla Tribal right activist, Jharkhand I celebrated the enactment of the panchayatiraj with the hope that it would recognise tribal rights for self-governance. I was optimistic that it would protect our natural resources. But it has been a big disappointment. The promise of self-rule in tribal area is yet to be kept. Rather, government has been working hard to take away our rights.

“Panchayatiraj has opened the flood gate of democracy”

George Mathew Chairperson, Institute of Social Science, Delhi The Panchayati Raj Act is a paradigm shift in governance in India. With millions of elected local representatives, panchayatiraj has increased India's democratic density. This system has provided space for inclusion of excluded communities in overall decision making process.

“Panchayatiraj ended people's isolation”

Imtiyaz Afzal Beigh Sarpanch, Duroo, Baramulla Kashmir It is true that elections to panchayats in Kashmir had ended people's isolation. People zealously participated in the elections in 2011. It created history that 85 per cent people exercised their franchise. But the enthusiasm has fizzled out as government has not devolved the power to panchayats.

“The Supreme Court's Vedanta verdict is an irony”

Rajesh Tandon President, Society for Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA), Delhi

Hit for six

Even as cricket fever grips the Indian subcontinent, manufacturers of Kashmiri bats are on a sticky wicket. The reason for their precarious position: the valley's dwindling willow plantation cover.

Making bureaucracy work

Though India is one of the worst governed countries in the world, cracking at its seams in just about every area, from social welfare, food distribution, to environment and riddled with rampant shameless corruption, it is clear that the Indian media does not take the issue of governance seriously. We agree that news about Kashmir and meeting the Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf is important.