Indian Local Government’s Development and Challenges: A Comprehensive Review
Abstract
This review article offers a thorough examination of the development, operation, and difficulties faced by local government in India. It examines the legal framework created by the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments, which gives village panchayats, intermediate panchayats, and municipal governments more authority. It traces its historical evolution from antiquity to the present. These organisations are tasked with a variety of duties, such as planning, providing healthcare, educating the public, and reducing poverty. Local governments have challenges such budgetary restrictions, bureaucratic meddling, and insufficient capacity-building despite their promise.
The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and the Smart Cities Mission are two significant programmes that aim to strengthen the role of local organisations in providing critical services, and they are highlighted in the article. As prospective reforms to address these issues, it also looks at community involvement, technology uptake, and fiscal decentralisation. The article emphasises the significance of local government in encouraging democratic participation and inclusive development by drawing on successful case studies. Local government in India may become a more powerful and transformative force at the grassroots level by addressing current issues and enacting required reforms.
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