Chapter 9

Towards Sustainability: Stories from India 30 9 Decentralization for Prosperity The state of Kerala shows the way Repeated freshwater crises were a fact of life in the Chellanam village in Ernakulam district of Kerala. Although there are heavy rains in Kerala during the monsoons, due to the gradient of the area, most of the rain water would flow into the sea. Constant pumping of underground sources had resulted in sea water ingression, making even the groundwater saline. The only source of potable water was a pipeline, providing water for only half an hour each day. In 1996, for the first time the Kerala state government allocated up to 40 per cent of the annual plan budget directly into the hands of the Panchayats (local governments). Things then changed remarkably. As soon as the villagers got the power, and money to plan and to take decisions, the gram sabha (village assembly) decided to construct rainwater-harvesting structures. This enabled 300 families to harvest rainwater. Gradually, as the freshwater seeped into the ground, the ingressed saline water was pushed out, enriching the underground water resources. The impetus for this devolution of power to people comes from the Panchayati Raj Act which became part of the Indian Constitution in 1993, following the 73rd Amendment. The Act is related to village self- governance, where the people, in the form of an organization, think, decide and act for their collective interest. Taking the cue from this Act, the State Government of Kerala in 1996, set up the formal three-tier Panchayati Raj local governance system, to open the state’s gate to decentralization. Among the factors leading to effective decentralization in Kerala was a community-managed development programme initiated by Kerala Sastra Sahitya Parishad (KSSP) a peoples’science movement, some years earlier in Kalliasseri, a coastal village of Kannaur district. Starting from this village in 1989, KSSP initiated a mass movement to promote the idea of decentralized planning. Around 50 padyatras (foot marches) were undertaken, covering all the Panchayats of the state. Making it Happen e-Governance Land records are perhaps the most necessary set of records in rural India, required for a variety of purposes— security of tenure, collateral for crop loans, getting scholarships for children, agricultural planning, etc. For generations, these records have been manually kept and updated. The sheer number of records has meant that they cannot be frequently updated. Getting information about a particular piece of land is tedious. To address this concern, the Central Government sanctioned a scheme in 1991 for computerization of land records in all states. The State Government of Karnataka launched the Bhoomi (land) project to undertake this task. Under this project, all land records have been computerized. This has been a colossal job. There are around 6.7 million rural land owners in nearly 30,000 villages of the state. Together, they account for 20 million records of rights, tenancy and certification (RTCs). 177 Bhoomi kiosks have been established at the taluka (sub-district) level. Each kiosk has a computer facility. The records can now be frequently updated and copies can be delivered readily for a fee of Rs. 15. This is a remarkable example of how e-governance can be useful at the grassroot level.

Legislation that Enable Checks and Balances by the People 31 These, together with unrelenting pressure from academics, NGOs and fisherfolk groups, led the government to appoint a committee to look into modifications of the state’s Panchayati Raj Act. The committee recommended the integration of key ingredients of decentralization into the Act—autonomy, role clarity, facilitation, people’s participation, accountability and transparency. The Panchayati Raj system which thereafter came into place in Kerala included many of these components. Realizing that mere legislation would not bring change, and that implementation at the ground level was most important, the State Planning Board (SPB) was designated as the implementing agency for the programme. To create greater awareness of the initiative, the Board launched a People’s Campaign for Decentralized Planning. A People’s Plan Cell was specially created in the SPB to monitor the decentralization process and to create awareness among people about their rights under Panchayati Raj. Recognizing that information access is the key to making the right plans, the state government has also started providing data, using information technology tools. The State Planning Board also serves as a forum for the state’s policy planners and economists to discuss and organize large-scale training and policy development programmes. The guiding principle of these reforms is that action must be taken at the level where it matters, and not at any higher level. This would help to ensure greater community participation. The People’s Campaign for Decentralized Planning played a crucial role in capacity- building institutions and individuals for implementing decentralized planning. Its programmes aimed to empower elected local bodies, and garner support and advice from experts, officials and volunteers. It helped Panchayats to put in place the first proposals and projects for implementation. Recognizing that knowledge about local resources is People’s Planning Campaign Grassroot Participation The 73rd Amendment Act, 1992 for Panchayati Raj (local self-governments) came into effect from 24 April 1993. Panchayats at the village level have existed in India since ancient times. When the Constitution of India was written, they were only mentioned in the Directive Principles of State Policy (which are suggestions and not mandatory). The 73rd Amendment resulted in the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs), being conferred constitutional sanction. This means that all activities of PRIs, as stipulated by the Act, now have legal and constitutional status, and any violation of this by anybody and at any time would be punishable by law. The aim of Panchayati Raj is to empower people at the grassroot level so that they participate in the developmental process. Gram Sabha, the general assembly of the village (consisting of all eligible voters), has been made the soul of the Panchayat institutions. To ensure adequate representation of women, one-third of the total seats have been reserved for women. Similarly, seats are also reserved for scheduled caste and scheduled tribe members. The Amendment has empowered Panchayats to levy, collect and appropriate such taxes, duties, tolls and fees as may be laid down by the State Government. The Panchayati Raj functions in a three-tier structure of democratic institutions at district, block and village levels—namely, Zilla Parishad (District Council), Panchayat Samiti and Village Panchayats respectively. All these bodies have democratically elected members. The Gram Sabha has been given a key role for the effective functioning of Panchayats. It is the Gram Sabha, which, based on needs assessment, decides what developmental work is to be undertaken by Panchayats. Gram Sabhas can question and scrutinize the decisions of Panchayats in their meetings, and discuss the annual financial statements of Gram Panchayats. Under the Act, the Gram Sabha itself has been vested with a wide range of powers including ownership of minor forest produce, approval of developmental plans, selection of beneficiaries under various programmes, management of minor water bodies, control of mineral leases, management of village markets and regulation/prohibition of sale of intoxicants.

Towards Sustainability: Stories from India 32 Janmabhoomi Janmabhoomi (Motherland) is a people- centered development process launched in January 1997 by the State Government of Andhra Pradesh. The process aims to ensure people’s participation, making government institutions accountable to the people, and responsive to felt needs. It also aims at equity, equality, transparency, innovation and sustainability, leading to sustained economic development and excellence in all walks of life. The goal is an enhanced quality of life for every man, woman and child in the state, imbibing the time-tested values of sacrifice, diligence, honesty, self-help, self-respect, sense of fulfillment and quest for excellence. The programme has several components – Pollution control, Women welfare, Farmers, Water harvesting, Supply of subsidized gas connections to the economically backward, Education, and Schemes for the handicapped. An important part of the Janmabhoomi programme is ‘Shrama Daanam’ (voluntary labour). This aims at enhancing public participation in the form of both money and labour in different developmental projects in the village. The government provides part of the funds for projects such as building roads, schools, water tanks, with the remaining being contributed by the village community. Janmabhoomi aims at overall development of the State, through good governance at the grassroots level, through accountability, transparency and responsiveness. The policy of decentralization strengthens the local bodies and develops a framework for a larger role for them. This has considerably enhanced sustainable development initiatives at all levels in the State. important for all planning exercises, SPB facilitated surveys and seminars to document both natural and human resources, thereby providing the baseline data for future planning for all panchayats. SPB mobilized retired government employees and other professionals to provide technical expertise. It is estimated that more than 100,000 volunteers helped in mobilizing people, and around 2.5 million people attended the various local body meetings. Besides ensuring people’s participation in decision-making, the other significant component in making decentralization a reality is the provision of adequate finances to support these programmes at the grassroot level. About 40 per cent of a state’s outlay in the Ninth Five Year Plan for projects and programmes was allotted to local bodies, as 9 per cent in earlier plans. Local body plans now form a major part of the total state plans. More than 65 per cent of agriculture-related issues have been transferred to Panchayats. This has helped focus on the real needs of the villages. Earlier, the state was spending only 5 per cent of its budget on agriculture. Now Panchayats are spending more than 10 per cent on agriculture. Kerala’s income growth rate climbed from 4.9 per cent in 1997-98 to 5.6 per cent in 1998-99. The growth in agriculture from a mere 0.8 per cent in 1997-98 to 3.8 per cent in 1998-99 was the main driving force behind the increase of state income. The increase in agriculture was possible because of increased outlay of Panchayats towards agriculture, to support watershed and land development programmes. Watershed development has now been taken up as the priority by the villages, because it helps ensure water availability in the non-monsoon period also. ‘Labour banks’are effectively bringing under cultivation cultivable lands lying barren due to labour shortage. The labour bank enrolls labourers who are trained in different agricultural practices and technologies. Landowners can avail of labour from these banks. The banks have not only helped ease the problem of getting agricultural labour, but are also helping to reduce migration of the poor in search of livelihoods. Housing schemes have also been encouraged, especially for people below the poverty line. To provide the necessary impetus, the financial allocation was tremendously increased: yearly allocation now matching the earlier total allocation for housing in five years. For construction purposes, people’s committees were given preference over private contractors. Financial flow has also been made easier, with 75 per cent budget of a project released as soon as the project was approved. Visible Changes

Legislation that Enable Checks and Balances by the People 33 Real changes are taking place at the ground level in Kerala. According to assessments by various agencies, in the year 2000 there were around 1,000 local bodies, out of which 200 were doing very well, 300 were moderately successful and 500 were not up to mark. Slowly but steadily, the people’s plan and implementation are making a difference. Panchayati Raj legislation is bringing power to the hands of the people across the country,. Almost all States have enacted their Panchayati Raj legislations, and elections to the Panchayats have been held. As a result 2,27,698 Panchayats at the village level, 5,906 at intermediate level and 474 at district level have been constituted in the country. These Panchayats are run by about 3.4 million elected representatives, with about 0.7 million of them being women. This makes the Panchayati Raj system in India the broadest representative base that exists anywhere in the world. Democracy must in essence mean the art and science of mobilizing the entire physical, economic and spiritual resources of all the various sections of the people in the service of the common good of allMahatma Gandhi