Potential of Gram Panchayat in the Transformation of Rural India: A Socio-Legal Analysis

Abstract

Villages are the fundamental entity of a country which is a true reflection of a country’s social and cultural ethos. Democratic decentralization is based on the notion that greater participation of the public will improve the quality of services provided by the government and the gram panchayats are at the fulcrum of local selfgovernment which has a responsibility of serving as the engine of socio-economic development in the villages. The 73 ^rd Constitutional amendment has created a formal structure of local governance that aims for inclusive governance. Gram panchayats are the institutions that can transform rural India through holistic development. The research paper aims to analyze the role of gram panchayats as an instrument that can impart development in various sectors such as health, economy, and technology and will also try to point out areas where special attention is needed, this paper will deal with the role of gram panchayat in realizing the right to education (Art 21A) concerning the rural population. People of villages are unaware of their legal rights and due to this, they refuse to take the path of formal justice, this article shall also discuss the relevance of gram panchayats in access to justice which is an important part of Article 21 and Article 14 of the Indian constitution. In the coming years, a greater degree of responsibility will be there, with the increase in focus on implementing welfare schemes in rural areas, there is a need to increase the quantum of financial devolution (Art. 243 I) and the gram panchayats has to be given more financial autonomy (Art. 243 H) which will help the panchayats in functioning effectively. This paper shall also attempt to recommend measures toward making gram panchayats a robust institution of local governance.