Capacity Building of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs)

TARGET GROUP: PANCHAYATI RAJ INSTITUTIONS

OBJECTIVES

·        To understand the ground realities of capacity-building initiatives supported by the Ministry.

·        To list out the major challenges in the process of capacity building of PRIs.

·        To describe recent Central initiatives of financial and technical assistance to States for capacity building of PRIs.

·        To highlight and document the field experiences to improve capacity building initiatives in the selected study areas namely Jharkhand, Chattisgarh, and Telangana.

SUMMARY

Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) are rural local governments entrusted with the responsibilities to prepare plan and implement schemes for economic development and social justice in rural India. A number of Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) assign important role to PRIs. In addition, PRIs are also involved in implementation and monitoring of several State Schemes. For achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in rural India, PRIs will have to play a key role. Importance of PRIs is also in ensuring people’s participation and enforcing downward accountability in the rural development initiatives. It would not be wrong to say that if India has to achieve good governance, PRIs have to function effectively as envisaged by the Indian Constitution. However, currently PRIs are facing a number of challenges. Inadequate devolution of funds, functions, functionaries and insufficient capacities are among the most important of these challenges. In fact an insufficient capacity of PRIs has become an excuse for States to deny devolution of funds, functions and functionaries. It is also the reason for Central government to create parallel structures for implementation of several CSSs rather than assigning PRIs the central role. Hence, for strengthening PRIs and to attain sustainable rural development in India, it is very pertinent to develop capacities of PRIs so as to enable them to function effectively. There is an element of innovation in this particular effort by the Ministry of Panchayathi Raj, as it labels specifically the various elements in the process of capacity building of PRIs, including financial and technical assistance through appropriate use of ICT tools to the extent feasible.                

REFERENCE

http://www.cgsird.gov.in/journal/images/pdf/Paper-01.pdf