PrashantNews
Experts, leading academicians and heads of national administrative and financial institutions from across the country on Friday made significant deliberations on challenges and gains in devolution of powers, financial resources and effective functioning of local self-governing bodies — Panchayats and Municipalities — with a special reference to Uttarakhand.
Making deliberations in a national workshop on ‘Decentralisation and Devolution in Uttarakhand Post 73rd and 74th: Achievements, Challenges and Strategies for Strengthening Grassroots Governance” organised by Doon University under the aegis of Sixth State Finance Commission of Uttarakhand, the experts revisited diverse experiences of different states and challenges and opportunities associated with the grassroots governance.
In her inaugural address, Doon University Vice Chancellor Prof Surekha Dangwal welcomed the delegates to the academic gathering and said that while there has been increased participation and representation, particularly for women and marginalized groups, there are several challenges still persisting and a national workshop like this should show the way forward.
Calling for decentralisation of powers to promote grassroots democracy and service deliveries by further strengthening these bodies, Head of the Department of Economics and Dean of School of Social Sciences Prof Rajendra P Mamgain underlined the importance of the workshop and said that since the optimum potential of the 73rd and 74th Amendment yet to realised. “We need more churning, studies and discussions on the issue to thrash out the way forward,” he said.
Ravi Shankar, Chairperson of the Sixth State Finance Commission of Uttarakhand and former chief secretary explained the process and functions of the current State Finance Commission, elaborating on its role in ensuring equitable financial transfers and support for local governance.
P.S. Jangpangi, Member of the Sixth Finance Commission, provided insights into the economic and geographical characteristics of Uttarakhand while reflecting upon the unique challenges of hill economies. “What we need is not more federal government but better local government. The key is to put local finances on a sound and sustainable level, ” Jangpangi said.
Delivering the inaugural address, Dr. Arvind Mayaram, Former Finance Secretary to the Government of India, emphasized on reclaiming the spirit of the amendments towards empowered local governance in Uttarakhand.
“It has been three decades since the 73rd and 74th Amendments, but democracy cannot remain confined to ballot boxes and Parliament. It must reach every lane and village. Empowerment is not merely a function of funds. There is a wide gap between what local bodies are expected to do and what they are able to deliver. The challenge is not a lack of responsibility, but a lack of supportive structures,” Dr Mayaram said while proposing the creation of core Panchayat level bureaucratic structure – one that is small, professional and locally embedded, yet robust enough to translate plans into outcomes. He stated that in Uttarakhand, where terrain and distance make hierarchical supervision difficult, this embedded administrative capacity could be transformational.
In his keynote address, Dr. Pinaki Chakraborty, Former Director, National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP), highlighted the issues before the 6th State Finance Commission of Uttarakhand and made some crucial recommendations. “Local bodies are largely performing agency functions for centrally sponsored schemes. The real scope of decentralisation has not been fully explored. Vertical devolution of funds is critical, and urban decentralisation presents unique challenges compared to rural governance due to differences in cost divisibility. The SFC should take these factors into account,” Dr Chakraborty said.
In his special address, S M Vijayanand, Former Panchayati Raj Secretary, Government of India and Former Chairman Kerala Finance Commission, dwelt upon several issues and options before the Uttarakhand current State Finance Commission while recommending visits to states like Kerala where decentralisation and devolution has been strong.
Speakers in the Second Session on “Functional Devolution: Achievements and Challenges” highlighted the urgent need for Uttarakhand to prioritize generating revenue through its own local sources to ensure fiscal sustainability at the grassroots level. “Uttarakhand has to go a long way in identifying the role panchayats and municipalities in schemes,” Prof V N Alok, Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi said, while adding that Uttarakhand government has its own parallel bodies implementing these schemes at local level. “Panchayats and Municipalities should necessarily be part of these parallel bodies,” he said.
Dr Narender Kumar Gajula, Director General of National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Hyderabad, emphasized that devolution should be implemented comprehensively across all three key domains—funds, functions, and functionaries—to truly empower local governance. He highlighted the status of different states in terms of decentralisation and devolution of powers and functions in the country. Speakers also stressed strengthening participatory democracy by institutionalizing regular Mahila Sabhas, Ward Sabhas, and Bal Sabhas, followed by structured Gram Sabhas, to enhance inclusive decision-making at the community level.
Indu Kumar Pande, former Chief Secretary of Uttarakhand Government emphasised on the fiscal management capacity building of local bodies.
Sangram Jit Nayak (Former Director, Municipal Administration Odisha and Ex Member of the State Finance Commission, Odisha),
Subhadhra Sankaran (Director, Department of Economic Policy and Research, Reserve Bank of India, Mumbai), Prof. S.P. Singh (Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee), Manmohan Mainali (Additional Commissioner, GST & Budget Officer, Chief Minister of Uttarakhand), Dr. Javed Alam Khan (Executive Director, Institute of Policy Studies and Advocacy, New Delhi), Prof. H. C. Pokhriyal (Former Executive Director, School of Open Learning, University of Delhi), Nidhi Yadav, Director, Panchayati Raj, Government of Uttarakhand, Dr Manoj Pant, Director SETU Ayog, Government of Uttarakhand, Dr Manish Gupta, Associate Professor, National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, New Delhi.
The two-day workshop is eliciting empirical observations and views on the status of ULBs and PRIs in Uttarakhand while documenting practical experiences and best practices from various regions of the country.