Whither Panchayat Raj

The Panchayat Raj or the local self-governing system has collapsed in West Bengal. Political violence during the panchayat elections, non-functional Gram Sabhas, arbitrariness, corruption and increasing centralization of power has brought the very notion of decentralisation of political power in the system of rural governance into question. Dilip Ghosh seeks a way out of this.  […]