In August 1947, as India celebrated its first Independence Day, Mahatma Gandhi declared that his vision for the nation was a "union of seven lakh village republics." Article 40 of the Indian Constitution echoed this sentiment, directing the State to organize village panchayats and endow them with such powers and authority as may be necessary to enable them to function as units of self-government. Yet, both the Union and State governments have largely failed to honor this constitutional directive.
In 1952, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru formulated the ‘Tribal Panchsheel’, emphasizing the right of tribal societies to govern themselves according to their own traditions without external interference. However, the 1956 Balwant Rai Mehta Committee recommended a three-tier panchayat system that largely ignored the Gram Sabha (village assembly). The committee operated on the assumption that a village society could only exercise its rights through elected representatives.
Recognizing this democratic deficit, the Ashok Mehta Committee was formed in 1978. During its proceedings, Dr. Brahma Dev Sharma, then Joint Secretary in the Union Home Ministry, proposed granting the Gram Sabha full authority to manage its own affairs in tribal areas. The committee rejected this, suggesting the Gram Sabha should only be given responsibilities, not rights. This was a critical misstep. The Gram Sabha must be the bedrock of democratic decentralization; without it, not only does decentralization become meaningless, but democracy itself risks fracturing.
A uniform panchayat system was inherently unsuited for Scheduled Areas. In 1988, under the leadership of Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, a constitutional amendment bill sought to exclude Scheduled Areas from the general panchayat framework, expecting state Governors to devise special provisions. The bill, however, lapsed.
In 1990, Dr. Brahma Dev Sharma, serving as the Commissioner for SCs and STs, submitted his 29th report to the President. He highlighted how colonial laws had reduced tribals to "born criminals," stripping them of basic rights at every turn. He strongly recommended complete self-governance for tribal areas, giving local communities absolute rights over their resources and livelihoods—the very essence of the ‘Village Republic’.
The 73rd Constitutional Amendment in 1993 introduced Part IX, granting constitutional status to the Gram Sabha but leaving its powers to the discretion of state legislatures. While Article 243(B)(1) excluded Scheduled Areas from the standard framework, Article 243(B)(4) empowered Parliament to extend the provisions with necessary modifications. This led to the enactment of the PESA (Panchayats Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act. Under Section 4(d) of PESA, legislative, executive, and judicial powers are to be transferred to the Village Government and Autonomous District Councils, granting them full administrative and financial control over local resources.
Yet, the reality on the ground is stark. The state machinery resists this devolution, clinging to absolute control. Gandhi’s dream cannot be realized merely by conducting panchayat elections. True empowerment requires transferring actual power, resources, and decision-making authority to the village community.
To realize this vision, several structural shifts are urgently required:
- Empower the Gram Sabha: It must be established as the fundamental unit of local governance, not just a forum for discussing government schemes.
- Resource Control: In Scheduled Areas, in the true spirit of PESA, the Gram Sabha must have real authority over land, forests, water, minerals, and minor forest produce.
- Consent and Review: No development plan should proceed without the free consent of the local community and a transparent review of its socio-environmental impact.
- Financial Autonomy: Rights must be backed by adequate financial resources and administrative capacity. Mere declaration of rights is insufficient.
- Align State Laws: State governments must review their laws to align with PESA. Where state laws conflict with the Gram Sabha's rights, the constitutional spirit of village self-rule must prevail.
- Bottom-Up Development: Development must shift from a top-down imposition to a bottom-up process. Local communities should prioritize programs related to education, health, agriculture, and conservation based on their specific needs.
Achieving this requires mass awareness and the integration of traditional tribal institutions with democratic decentralization. Only then can a genuine relationship be established between the panchayati raj system and tribal self-governance.
Nearly eight decades after independence, the gap between constitutional promises and ground reality remains wide. Gandhi’s India was one where villages were capable of deciding their own destiny. This does not mean eliminating the state, but redefining its role to safeguard local autonomy and constitutional rights.
If the Gram Sabha is burdened with responsibilities but denied power, if resource decisions remain centralized, and if local consent is reduced to a mere formality in the name of development, the dream of the Village Republic will remain unfulfilled. The next battle for Gandhi’s dream is not about winning panchayat elections, but about claiming the right to power, resources, and decision-making. Democracy flows from the Parliament and Assemblies down to the village, but its true foundation lies in the collective decision-making power of the village people. It is time to make the village not just the last unit of administration, but the first unit of democracy.
---
The author is associated with the Bargi Dam Displaced and Affected Union
Comments