3Fs of grassroots governance

Decentralized governance through Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRI) plays the most crucial role in strengthening democracy by enabling communities to identify their development priorities and plans for sustainable rural development. Gram Panchayats (GPs), being the institution of governance closest to the people at the village level, are central to transparent last-mile delivery of development benefits and making governance responsive to people’s needs and aspirations. The central government’s framework of efficient functioning of PRIs' priorities, funds, functions, and functionaries. Availability of funds is essential to implement plans approved by elected PRIs. It is important that the function of PRIs not be limited to just drawing a list of beneficiaries of various schemes of the central and state governments but include all constitutionally mandated functions. The functions of PRIs include preparation of development plans; implementation of schemes related to 29 departments such as agriculture, horticulture, rural development, health, education, etc.; and management of community assets such as ponds, roads, and public buildings. Availability of funds to the PRIs has significantly improved with the release of funds through central and state finance commission grants and funds released to the panchayats under various central and state government schemes. If elected functionaries of PRIs down to the GP level are not fully aware of these powers and functions and are not empowered with various governance tools, the availability of funds or devolution of constitutionally mandated functions will not make the grassroots democracy at the village level vibrant. GPs in Assam preparing Gram Panchayat Development Plans and digitalizing and uploading them on the eGramSwaraj portal marks a significant step forward in panchayat functioning in the state. Official data shows that of the total 2675 GPs in the state, 2254 GPs have uploaded GPDPs. Computerization plays a pivotal role in e-governance, but 868 GPs in the state are still without computers, which remains a critical gap. Uploading the GPDP to the portal alone will not achieve the 73rd Constitutional amendment's objectives for PRIs' transformative role in grassroots planning. It is important to ensure that GPDP preparation is participatory, well-informed, and has the full administrative and financial backing for implementation. This calls for ascertaining, through a third-party evaluation, that every single elected GP member took part in GPDP preparations, gram sabhas were duly convened for project selection, and the process was inclusive to ensure participation of marginalized sections. Prioritizing revamped Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan Scheme (RGSA) implementation is essential to build capacity of elected representatives through training and refresher courses. The key features of the scheme also include strengthening Gram Sabhas to function effectively as the basic forum of people's participation within the Panchayat system; promote e-governance and other technology-driven solutions to enable good governance in Panchayat administrative efficiency and improved service delivery with transparency and accountability; and promote devolution of powers and responsibilities to Panchayats. As this centrally sponsored scheme is demand-driven, there is ample scope for seeking more funds to strengthen the grassroots development planning process in the state provided timely submission of utilization certificates and auditor’s reports are ensured and the state share is released in time. The introduction of SabhaSaar, an AI-enabled voice-to-text and meeting summarization platform by the Ministry of Panchayat Raj to support accurate and timely documentation of Gram Sabha and Panchayat meetings, is a transformative step to enhance transparency, efficiency, and follow-up in grassroots governance. However, only 14 GPs generating automated minutes of meetings using SabhaSaar highlight the slow pace of technology adoption by the GPs. The ministry insists that since Panchayat NIRNAY, which is a real-time system for managing Gram Sabha meetings, including scheduling, agenda notification, and recording of decisions, SabhaSaar only helps the Panchayat to generate accurate summaries of those meetings. Besides, SabhaSaar is also linked with Bhasini, the National Language Translation Mission, which allows it to work in 14 different languages, including Assamese and Bodo. Such technology adoption significantly enhances transparency, accountability, and citizen participation in Panchayat decision-making and replaces manual processes with a fully automated workflow to make Gram Sabhas more vibrant and effective by providing structured records of discussions and decisions. When elected representatives are made aware of the utilities of these technological tools, they can play an active role in their faster adoption. Facilitating virtual attendance in Gram Sabha meetings can enhance the participatory role of people in GPDP preparation and make the decision-making process more vibrant. The Panchayat NIRNAY portal facilitates virtual attendance and remote viewing of the Gram Sabha agenda, and it also notifies citizens about the meeting schedule and agenda in advance. The demand for NIRNAY portal use by GPs will increase when awareness of it is spread among the citizens. The role of the citizens does not end with electing their representatives to the three tiers of the panchayats. People taking active participation in the Gram Sabha are essential to make their representatives accountable, as this involvement ensures that the concerns and needs of the community are voiced and addressed effectively.