Question

Discuss three challenges faced by rural local self-government after the passage of the 73^rd Amendment to the Constitution of India.

Answer 1

The three challenges faced by rural Local Self-Government after the passage of the 73^rd amendment to the constitution of India are as follows:

• The decentralisation is observed in the Panchayat elections and people are participating in it in large numbers; yet, the administrative and fiscal decentralisation has remained limited. The State Government failed to give up the control of administration and finance to the local bodies.
• The Panchayat has not been granted the powers of revenue generation. Hence, their functional autonomy remained restricted. The Gram Sabha is also not given the power to ensure greater participation of people and transparency in the workings of Panchayats.
• The power given to the State Election Commission also varies for every state. They should be given more powers related to panchayat elections, viz., the number of constituencies, rotation of reservation seats in panchayat elections, finalisation of electoral rolls, etc. The recommendations given by the state election commission are not also considered seriously.