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Rural Development and Poverty - Panchayat Raj - ongoing |
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Working of Panchayat Raj Institutions - Impact on the Poor |
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| Project Director |
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M.Gopinath Reddy |
| Sponsored by |
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Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India. |
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Under the study, field work in two districts viz., Medak and Anantapur has been completed. In each of the districts eight villages both in developed and backward mandals were covered. Analysis of the data was completed in Medak whereas it is in progress in respect of Anantapur. Field work in the third and last sample district i.e. West Godavari is in progress. The tentative findings pertaining to Medak district are as follows: |
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| 1. |
In most of the villages barring one village in each set of both developed and backward mandals, all the positions of power (both chairperson and members) witnessed contests. It was so even in villages where women had reservation facility. |
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| 2. |
The stipulated four meetings of gram panchayat per year had not taken place in any of the selected villages reflecting a sorry state of affairs. |
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In both the mandals the panchayats failed to generate their own resources through collection of house tax or other fees except in stray cases making them largely dependent on state government grants for developmental activity. |
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The apathy of village chairpersons towards gram Sabha activities was evident in study villages. The institution failed to function as social audit. The sabha hardly identified anti-poverty beneficiaries. |
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In the study villages the fund flow under JRY
(SGSY) was regular and substantial whereas under Tenth Finance Commission
(TFC) it was hardly regular, with the panchayat receiving only one year's funds during previous four years (1996 to 2000). Money was diverted to Janmabhoomi works. |
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Panchayat Raj bodies are kept out of important initiatives of the State Government like Janmabhoomi as only Sarpanch is associated as chairman of Habitation
committee |
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The following are the initial (tentative) findings pertaining to working of PR Institutions in Anantapur district. |
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| 1. |
In some of villages the stronghold of traditional dominant castes (Lingayat community) in the Panchayat continued to exist with the same family controlling the panchayat ever since 1957. In some cases most of the funds were usurped by the
sarpanch. |
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Instance of gross management of Panchayat funds by the sarpanch came to light. Officials had taken advantage of chairperson's social background (SC) and his lack of knowledge in running the panchayat and misappropriated the funds. Neither gram panchayat nor gram sabhas meetings were held. Tenth Finance Commission
(TFC) grants were not utilized |
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Typical case of proxy leadership was noticed in one gram panchayat making the BC community sarpanch a dummy, with all the affairs of the panchayat managed by an upper caste vice-chairperson |
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