Local self-government
Also called: Local government · Topic: Panchayati Raj: Rural Local Government · NCERT: Class 6, Ch 11 "Grassroots Democracy – Part 2: Local Government in Rural Areas"; Class 6, Ch 12 "Grassroots Democracy – Part 3: Local Government in Urban Areas"; Class 7, Ch 6 "The State, the Government, and You"; Class 11, Ch 8 "Local Governments"
Meaning
Local self-government means elected local bodies run local affairs. Decisions are taken close to the people who live with them. In rural areas these bodies are panchayats, and in towns and cities they are municipalities. The 73rd and 74th Amendments (1992) gave them constitutional status. Class 11 says democracy needs elected government at the local level, not only at the Centre and in the states. It rests on two ideas: people's participation, and accountability of power to the people nearby.
Example
In 1997 Vengaivasal gram panchayat in Tamil Nadu refused to approve a land allotment ordered by the state. The Madras High Court upheld the panchayat's constitutional status. Geeta Rathore was elected sarpanch of Jamonia Talab (Madhya Pradesh) from a reserved seat in 1995. In 2000 she was re-elected from an unreserved seat.
Don't confuse with
- Deconcentration: this only moves government officials closer to the field. Local self-government means devolution, where real power goes to elected bodies.