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Intercooperation Social Development IndiaIntercooperation Social Development IndiaIntercooperation Social Development IndiaIntercooperation Social Development IndiaIntercooperation Social Development Indiawith support fromSDC LoGInSDC LoGInSDC LoGInSDC LoGInSDC LoGInLocal Governance Initiative South AsiaLocal Governance Initiative South AsiaLocal Governance Initiative South AsiaLocal Governance Initiative South AsiaLocal Governance Initiative South AsiaApril, 2013

Panchayats: The Need for Support SystemPanchayats: The Need for Support SystemPanchayats: The Need for Support SystemPanchayats: The Need for Support SystemPanchayats: The Need for Support SystemThe use and sharing of information contained in this document is encouragedwith due acknowledgement of the source.

Prepared byPrepared byPrepared byPrepared byPrepared byJoy ElamonVinod C.P.Preeti SharmaMariamma Sanu George (Nirmala)

E d i t o rE d i t o rE d i t o rE d i t o rE d i t o rCithara Paul

Supported bySupported bySupported bySupported bySupported bySDC-LoGIn Local Governance Initiative South Asia

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P u b l i s h e rP u b l i s h e rP u b l i s h e rP u b l i s h e rP u b l i s h e rIntercooperation Social Development India

C i t a t i o nC i t a t i o nC i t a t i o nC i t a t i o nC i t a t i o nPanchayats: The Need for Support System- Intercooperation Social Development India (2013)

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ContentsContentsContentsContentsContents

List of abbreviations 4

Foreword with Acknowledgements 5

1. Preface 6

2. Support System 10

3. Functions of Local Governments: 4 Fs 13

4. Classifying Support Needs 15

5. Constituents of Non-governmental Support System 22

6. Role Characteristics 26

7. Support Needs Analysis 27

8. Challenges and Risks 28

4PANCHAYATS:THE NEED FOR

SUPPORT SYSTEM

NGO Non-Governmental OrganisationNRHM National Rural Health MissionNRLM National Rural Livelihood MissionPES Payment for Ecosystem ServicesPRI Panchayati Raj InstitutionsPRIA Participatory Research in AsiaPWGI Palampur Water

Governance InitiativeRGPSA Rajiv Gandhi Panchayat

Shashaktikaran Abhiyan SDC Swiss Agency for

Development and CooperationSHG Self Help GroupSIRD State Institute of

Rural DevelopmentSWG Social Watch GroupTSC Total Sanitation CampaignUNDP United Nations Development

ProgrammeUNFPA United Nations Population FundVHSNC Village Health, Sanitation and

Nutrition CommitteeWUMP Water Use Master Plan

List of AbbreviationsList of AbbreviationsList of AbbreviationsList of AbbreviationsList of Abbreviations

ATI Administrative Training Institute

BRGF Backward Regions Grant Fund

CBO Community Based Organisation

CRM Centre for Rural Management

CSO Civil Society Organisation

CSR Corporate Social Responsibility

DC District Collector

DM District Magistrate

GoK Government of Kerala

GP Gram Panchayat

GUS Gram Unnayan Samity

Klink Kutch Local Information Kendra

KNNA Kutch Nav Nirman Abhiyan

LKP Loka Kalyan Parishad

LoGIn Local GovernanceInitiative South Asia

MM Mahiti Mitra

MDG Millennium Development Goal

MGNREGS Mahatma Gandhi National RuralEmployment Guarantee Scheme

MoU Memoradum of Understanding

MRA Mahila Rajsatta Andolan

5PANCHAYATS:THE NEED FORSUPPORT SYSTEM

Foreword withForeword withForeword withForeword withForeword withAcknowledgementsAcknowledgementsAcknowledgementsAcknowledgementsAcknowledgements

Some of us, involved in strengthening Panchayati Raj in India, have been thinking of thevarious issues the Panchayats face. One of these issues was their own capacity. However,there have been many initiatives in capacity building over the years across the country.They, in general, were focussed on trainings.

So, what else is to be done? It is here that we thought of support system for Panchayats.SDC-LoGIn came forward to support us in crystalizing this idea into a concept paper.Review of various reports, interviews, field visits and case studies followed. Two consultativeworkshops were organised which were attended by a wide spectrum of stakeholdersincluding Panchayat representatives, officers, academicians, researchers and activists.This document is a result of all their experiences, contributions and ideas. We thankfullyacknowledge their contribution.

Case studies included in this document are based on various sources – DecentralizationCommunity of UN Solution Exchange, PRIA, Centre for Rural Management, Mahila RajsattaAndolan, Kutch Nav Nirman Abhiyan, The Hunger Project, GIZ and SDC. These werefollowed up with field visits to develop the case studies. Thanks to all of them.

We are indebted to Panchayat representatives who have shared their views and ideas,which form the basis of this document. Finally, we acknowledge with gratitude the supportprovided by SDC-LoGIn which made this document possible.

Joy ElamonJoy ElamonJoy ElamonJoy ElamonJoy ElamonChief Executive Officer

Intercooperation Social Development India


SUPPORT SYSTEM

11111PrefacePrefacePrefacePrefacePrefaceOver the last couple of decades, there have been initiatives invarious countries of the South Asia region to restructure orlaunch local government system. Reasons and the genesis ofsuch initiatives vary from country to country. While the localgovernments are considered to be the governments at thelocal level, there are many actions yet to be taken at variouslevels to make them reach that level.

In countries where local governments have, by now, beenfunctional, many initiatives were launched by variousagencies, including the government and thenon-governmental, to strengthen the local governmentsystem. Most of the discourses and actions on strengtheninglocal governments focus on the 3 F’s (functions, finances andfunctionaries) and also the capacity building. The latter, inpractice, gets narrowed down to training. However, it is nowclear that there are a lot more things to be in place for makingthe local governments function as real local governments.

In India, the national and state governments are equipped withvarious support mechanisms for their functioning.These include sectoral departments with professional humanresources, training and research institutions directly or


indirectly under the relevant state or national governments,academic institutions, and experts on call throughcommittees and task forces. In contrast, the localgovernments are devoid of any such mechanisms, especiallythose which could provide them support at the local level ona regular basis. In fact, they lack even the adequate humanresources required for their day to day functioning; leaveaside the professional and technical expertise. And, this is inthe context where the Schedule XI of the Constitutionmentions about 29 subjects to be under the localgovernments.

This is not to deny the fact that there are potentials. In fact,there is a large scope for identifying such institutions andorganisations which could play the role of non-governmentalsupport system for strengthening local governments. Theseinclude community based organisations like residentsassociations and Self Help Groups (SHGs), networks andplatforms, academic and research institutions, voluntaryagencies and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs).However, these potentials have not been appropriatelytapped, reasons being many. Some of the reasons are asfollows:

Local governments have very little knowledge andunderstanding about the capabilities and potentials ofsuch organisations and institutions in supporting localgovernmentsWith regard to the organisations and institutionsmentioned above, they too have not understood thatthere is need at the local government level for theirsupport as well as there is the expertise and knowledgeavailable with them which can be of use to the localgovernmentsAnd for both the groups, there is lack of understandingabout the scope of their partnership and how thispartnership could be brought about leading to awin-win situation.


SUPPORT SYSTEM

There are different kinds of functions to be undertaken by thelocal governments;though they may vary across states. Theyrequire support in addition to the routine trainingprogrammes offered by the government agencies. There arepossibilities of such non-governmental support mechanismsavailable at the local level. At present there are gaps andlimitations in accessing this support. But there areexperiences from various states, if these are analysed, andsuccesses, failures and gaps identified, the local governmentswill be able to function more effectively and efficiently.

Generally, the trainings provided by the government agenciesand training institutes focus on rules, orders and guidelines.They do not address the ground realities like:

How to manage the system, various institutions andmandates in Panchayat?How and why vision should be developed?How to address felt needs and move towards new ideasto address them?How ideas could be translated into action by leveragingthe existing opportunities like the possible localsolutions, various governmental schemes or otherresources?How service delivery could be improved? and so on.

There would be various specific purpose Community BasedOrganisations (CBOs) like the farmers organisations in thePanchayat, people who are exposed to relevant areas foraction or who would be interested or could be motivated insupporting Panchayats, colleges and similar academicinstitutions in the nearby areas, certain specialisedorganisations working on issues of relevance to Panchayatsetc. Lack of awareness on the part of the Panchayats and thegroups mentioned above on the potentials of workingtogether is a major limitation. In addition, is the fact that thegovernment led decentralisation process in the Country has


so far not been able to provide a framework for suchcollaborations and support mechanisms.

No concrete steps have so far been taken in the country toconceptualise this support system. Apart from someindividual reports – of which many are not in the publicdomain - there have not been many attempts to have thereports consolidated. It would be useful for strengtheninglocal governments in the Country if such an attempt is made,through which conceptual and operational framework fornon-governmental support system can be developed from thescattered experiences so far.

For Whom and WhatFor Whom and WhatFor Whom and WhatFor Whom and WhatFor Whom and WhatThis document could be used by:

Local governments in understanding how and wherethey could look for support organisations and whatsuch support organisations could offer.Various organisations and institutions to see how theycould play a facilitatory role in strengthening localgovernments.All stakeholders like local governments, organisationsand others for advocacy with the governments toprovide facilitatory environment for such supportsystems.

ScopeScopeScopeScopeScopeIt is to be noted that local governments in India are nothomogenous, there are variations across states as the level ofdevolution varies from state to state. There are also the urbanand rural local governments, the latter again having threetiers viz. district, intermediate and village. Even within a state,there would be differences due to socio-cultural anddevelopmental status. In this document, rural localgovernments are being considered with focus on village localgovernments.


SUPPORT SYSTEM

22222Support SystemSupport SystemSupport SystemSupport SystemSupport SystemSupport system for local governments can be defined as agroup of organizations, institutions, governance anddevelopment experts, network of peers,platforms foradvocacy and knowledge management available to the localgovernments, for carrying out its functions as a localgovernment and enabling them to mature and strengthenitself as real institutions of local governance.

Such a support system is inclusive of the government, whereas our focus is on non-governmental support system.Non-governmental is clearly something outside thegovernment and is in the ‘private’ domain. However, can it be‘purely’ private?

Going by the definition of capacity development and itspractical interpretations for local governance by manyorganizations including United Nations DevelopmentProgramme (UNDP), non-governmental support system has tobe one of the components of capacity development and notexclusive. However, the difference is from trainings andorientations which are usually one –off programmes or a series with a timeline,


the non-governmental support system is a dynamic systemwhich is concurrent, continuous and regular. It is demanddriven as well as supply based.

The broad objective of the non-governmental support systemis that the support is available to the local governments tocarry out its functions as local governments.

In India, what are the functions of local governments? Is itenough to be concerned only with the existing functions or isit for enabling the local governments to ‘mature andstrengthen itself as real institutions of local governance?

Local Governments in India are still in the early stages ofevolution, character varies from state to state, content oflegislations might be different, number of functions and theway they have been transferred vary, status in terms of fundsand functionaries are dependent on state policies, frameworkin which they work is different - still there is a commonthread. They have been formed as per the broad frameworkenvisioned in the 73rd and 74th amendments to theConstitution of India. The major objective mentioned in theseamendments are ‘to promote social justice and localeconomic development’.

There are specific functions transferred (and sometimesassigned) to the local governments. These include subjectareas like health, education, social welfare, drinking water,sanitation, agriculture and many others. Though thesesubjects are transferred as per the Schedule XI and XII of theConstitution, there is no clarity on the actual transfer withinthese subject areas. Considering the federal characteristicsof the Country, it is clear that these subjects would not havebeen transferred to the local governments in its entirety.Attempt at activity mapping too did not succeed.


SUPPORT SYSTEM

In addition to these are various vertical schemes sponsoredby the state and national governments like Backward RegionsGrant Fund (BRGF), Mahatma Gandhi National RuralEmployment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), National RuralHealth Mission (NRHM), Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC) etcwhere local governments have been assigned key roles. Thereare the new schemes like RGPSA and NRLM where too localgovernments have a major role to play.

There are the basic functions, office and financialmanagement, monitoring of various programmes, localdevelopment planning, service delivery, organisation ofparticipatory forum like Gram Sabha and other committees;and various other day to day issues to be addressed locally.There are also the functions like community mobilisation,conflict resolution etc. It also requires intellectual andpractical support to identify opportunities available andadapting or innovating to suit the local realities. Moreover,these are functions and activities devolved or sometimesdelegated to the local governments.

Being in a stage of evolution, in the context of centralisedgovernance at the state and national levels, will these vaguelydefined functions and activities be enough for the localgovernments to ‘mature and strengthen as real institutions oflocal governance’? It is in this premise that the functions oflocal governments are approached in this document. It isalso, about local governments as a whole and not just aboutelected representatives.


33333Functions ofFunctions ofFunctions ofFunctions ofFunctions ofLocal Governments: 4 FsLocal Governments: 4 FsLocal Governments: 4 FsLocal Governments: 4 FsLocal Governments: 4 FsAt the practical level, there could be four broad categories offunctions the local governments of today have to address:Statutory, Delegated, Ongoing and Potential

Statutory functions are those that have been bestowed onthem through the Constitution, state legislations and rules.Delegated functions are those that from time to time areassigned to them. There are many functions the localgovernments carry out within their geographic territory whichare not covered in the statutory and delegated functions andthese could be termed as “Ongoing functions”. In order tomature and strengthen to become real institutions of localgovernance, there could be many other areas which need tobe identified by themselves depending upon the localsituation.

i .i .i .i .i . Statutory FunctionsStatutory FunctionsStatutory FunctionsStatutory FunctionsStatutory FunctionsAs mentioned, these are functions transferred to the localgovernments through constitution, legislations and rules,from the national and state levels.

Day to day administrationBasic functions (civic, regulatory and developmental)Service deliveryPlanning


SUPPORT SYSTEM

i i .i i .i i .i i .i i . Delegated FunctionsDelegated FunctionsDelegated FunctionsDelegated FunctionsDelegated FunctionsIn many situations these are agency functions.

Implementation of flagship programmesChannels for distribution of government benefitsMonitoring of schemes and servicesGrievance redressalReporting to the higher levels of governmentsRepresentative of the higher levels of governments

i i i .i i i .i i i .i i i .i i i . Ongoing FunctionsOngoing FunctionsOngoing FunctionsOngoing FunctionsOngoing FunctionsThere are many functions the local governments carry out atthe local level which are not under the category of statutoryor delegated functions. These functions are need based andmany of them could be interpreted to be part of the statutoryfunctions.

Grievance redressalConflict resolutionSupport to citizens in accessing rights entitlementsCoordination of community activitiesDecisions on local norms and rulesPublic – private interfaceAdvocacy

iv.iv.iv.iv.iv. Potential FunctionsPotential FunctionsPotential FunctionsPotential FunctionsPotential FunctionsThese are functions they could/should do to establishthemselves as local governments. These are also dependenton the expectations and perceptions of the people about localgovernments. It may vary from place to place, culture toculture and contexts. A few examples are given below:

Improving quality of services through local innovationsProductivity enhancement strategies in agricultureFacilitation of public-private-citizen interfaceDealing with issues of commonsInnovative strategies in poverty alleviationAdvocacy on issues of relevance to the area


44444ClassifyingClassifyingClassifyingClassifyingClassifyingSupport NeedsSupport NeedsSupport NeedsSupport NeedsSupport NeedsIn order to carry out these functions the local governmentsrequire support in the following areas:

i .i .i .i .i . Knowledge NeedsKnowledge NeedsKnowledge NeedsKnowledge NeedsKnowledge NeedsAccess to new knowledgeAccess to information on various aspects in anunderstandable form, including government schemesand programmes, rules and regulations, powers andresponsibilitiesIdeas for new initiatives

Experiences of Kutch Nav Nirman Abhiyan (KNNA) in Gujarat ininitiating a few technology driven programmes in the region tobridge the knowledge / information gap within the governancesystem provide concrete future directions in addressing theknowledge needs of local governments. Programmes like Setu(‘bridge’), Mahiti Mitra (MM) (Information friend) and Kutch LocalInformation Kendra (Klink) became very popular in the region insupporting and facilitating local governance in the post–cyclone,earth-quake years. Setu was conceived as a decentralized spacefacilitated by technology to ensure the co-ordination of the localrelief and rehabilitation effort and manage the task of creating thedatabase of information. Mahiti Mitra (Information friend) wasdeveloped to meet the mandate of ‘using and developinginformation technology to institute an e-self governance system’.Klink as a programme arose from the need to organise the datafor relief and rehabilitation.


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i i .i i .i i .i i .i i . SkillsSkillsSkillsSkillsSkillsElected representatives - For responding to the day today needs, ‘as executive, planner, implementer, socialactivist, advocate and as representative of the people’Other functionaries like staff – planning, officemanagement, and quality improvement in servicedeliveryPlanning: (methodology, tools, technical knowhow,opportunities, needs assessment, ensuringparticipation, identifying opportunities)

Water and sanitation are key intervention areas for localgovernments. Successful models related to the Water UseMaster Plan (WUMP) in Sobra in Odisha facilitated byIntercooperation and Institute for Women Development withsupport from Arghyam, implementation of watershed plan inBonthi in Karnataka facilitated by Intercooperation and Myradawith support from Swiss Agency for Development andCooperation (SDC) and Zurich City and Palampur watergovernance project in Himachal Pradesh supported by GTZprovide concrete evidences on how building skills help.

WUMP helped to train the local leaders about the participatoryplanning, create greater ability for panchayat members todeliver services and implement schemes, and to mobilisegovernment funds in efficient ways. Increased awarenessamong Panchayat and sub-committee members andcommunity resource persons about the technical details ofvarious public programmes and the transparent way ofhandling public fund is a major achievement of Watershedprogramme in Bonthi.

The Palampur Water Governance Initiative (PWGI) is essentiallyan application of Payment for Eco-system Services (PES) modelmainly involving Palampur Municipal Council and Village ForestDevelopment Society at the upstream rural areas. The PWGImodel opens an avenue for the Forest Development Society forcollaborating with larger players including Irrigation and PublicHealth Department and hydro power companies. The setprocess has created a scientific understanding about theirresources among the local communities also.


i i i .i i i .i i i .i i i .i i i . GuidanceGuidanceGuidanceGuidanceGuidanceRights based approach to local governanceCreating a vision

There is the case of Mahila Rajsatta Andolan (MRA) in Maharashtrawhich was initiated in 2000 as a campaign for Women inGovernance, with a view of empowering both the elected as wellas other motivated women members within Gram Panchayats.Though the campaign has positioned itself as a Civil Societyinitiative, it has become successful in participating actively in thepolitical process at grass root level. MRA is encouraging womento come forward and demand their rightful share in politicalgovernance. It also creates awareness about the success andstruggles of these women leaders. It has become successful inmaking the elected women representatives conversant with thePanchayat laws, procedures, their rights, powers and functioningof the administrative mechanism.

iv.iv.iv.iv.iv. Technical and ProfessionalTechnical and ProfessionalTechnical and ProfessionalTechnical and ProfessionalTechnical and ProfessionalPlanningTechnology supportImplementationMonitoring and evaluation

Government of Kerala (GoK) tried to facilitate the process offormally engaging the technically capacitated civil societyorganizations with the local government plans by givingaccreditation to the organizations based on their core skills andcapacities. In those areas, the Panchayats can formally tie up withthe concerned organizations to be their implementing agencywithout going through the routine tender processes.


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v .v .v .v .v . ResourcesResourcesResourcesResourcesResourcesMobilising financial resources, including governmentand non governmentFor financial resourcesMobilising professionals and technical support

Odanthurai Panchayat of Coimbatore district in Tamil Nadu hasset up a revenue generating model in a partnership with Suzlon.They erected a wind mill and have sought a loan from the Bank ofIndia. The electricity generated is sold back to the grid and afterloan servicing over 7 years, and a maintenance contract withSuzlon, the village will have a sustainable revenue source fordevelopment purposes.

Kumily Gram Panchayat in Kerala set a model in the mobilizationof local resources through the support of Centre for RuralManagement (CRM). The Panchayat could increase its own fundssubstantially over the years. This was achieved by enhancing thequality and content of delivery of services along with a taxcollection drive, thereby motivating the people to pay taxes.

v i .v i .vi .vi .vi . ManagementManagementManagementManagementManagementUnderstanding rules and regulationsInterpreting rules and regulationsMonitoring and evaluationE-governanceInterface with officers within and outside

Info Gram is a comprehensive IT Solution, covering all activities inthe village panchayats. It has been implemented in five villagepanchayats in Goa. The modules cover services pertaining toregistration of births, deaths; maintain payment details andbudget entries, data on house and light tax, trade licenses,electricity connection etc.

Mahiti Mitra (MM) and Kutch Local Information Kendra (Klink)under the Setu project mentioned earlier have played a major rolein contributing to e-governance as well as helping Panchayats inunderstanding rules and regulations.


vi i .vi i .vi i .vi i .vi i . Service DeliveryService DeliveryService DeliveryService DeliveryService DeliveryIdeas on how to improve service deliverySupporting service delivery

The project on “Strengthening gender response of Panchayats inRajasthan” facilitated by PRIA with financial supports from UnitedNations Population Fund (UNFPA) and active engagement of localpartner organizations helped the Panchayats in improved servicedelivery with focus on gender responsiveness. Panchayats havebeen enabled with appropriate capacities, tools and methods tohelp them address and be responsive to gender issues in theirjurisdiction. The continuous local level support to panchayatswas provided by the network of Civil Society Organisation (CSO)partners, trained on various themes of gender, health andgovernance by PRIA. The CSO network provided regularinformation and capacity building support to panchayats andvarious other committees (Gram Sabha, VHSNC and Social Justiceand Social Welfare Committee) for effective gender-responsiveactions at the grassroots. These various village level committeeswere organised and capacitated significantly to act as monitoringcommittees and provide check balance to the system of healthdelivery and governance. All these interventions preparedpanchayats to undertake participatory health planning exercise intheir Gram Panchayats. These participatory health plans alsoinfluenced the thought processes of people as well as priorities,planning, budgeting and expenditure patterns of panchayats formaking them gender responsive, which was earlier lacking at thelocal levels. The project has thus been able to sensitize, activateand capacitate panchayats to work on the gender and healthissues affecting their areas.

Loka Kalyan Parishad’s (LKP) partnership with 50 GramPanchayats in Birbhum and Uttar Dinajur districts of West Bengalis one example of how civil society organization can supportGram Panchayats in building their capacity through aparticipatory structure of CBOs networked with Panchayats fordevelopment. LKP worked as a facilitating organizationrecognizing the primacy of the Gram Panchayat as the localgovernment and Gram Sansad as the people’s forum as anintegral part of Gram Panchayat. LKP’s development assistancefor the community is provided to the Gram Panchayats andintegrated with the Gram Panchayat’s own Books of Accounts, sothat the community receives all development assistance from thepanchayats and make it accountable to them. Capacity building ofGram Panchayats was not through any training but through acontinuous process of working together with thesub-committees and also with Gram Unnayan Samity (GUS).


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vi i i .vi i i .vi i i .vi i i .vi i i . ImplementationImplementationImplementationImplementationImplementationImplementer of schemes and programmesProviding feedback

Social Watch Groups (SWGs) constituted in two blocks ofMayurbhanj district in Orissa have members from amulti-stakeholder base of people’s representatives, governmentofficials, media persons and community based organizations.These SWGs constituted by Sambandh, an NGO, use theMillennium Development Goals (MDGs) assessment tool, whichmeasures the achievement level of a particular village in terms ofthe localized MDGs across four goals and against twenty-eightindicators. An Annual Social Watch Report thus could begenerated with technical support from a facilitating civil societyorganization. On similar lines, respondents mentioned the use ofcitizen report cards, a client feedback tool to assess theavailability, quality and performance parameters for services.Members noted that a combination of such tools, as communityscorecards, citizen juries administered in a systematic frameworkis quintessential to achieving social accountability.

ix .ix.ix.ix.ix. Lobbying and AdvocacyLobbying and AdvocacyLobbying and AdvocacyLobbying and AdvocacyLobbying and AdvocacyDealing with District Collector (DC)/District Magistrate(DM) and higher authoritiesNetworkingCollaborations and partnerships with other localgovernments

Motivated and educated by the State Federation of ElectedWomen (SUGRAMA) project, Smt. Nagarathnamma, Member ofSinganahalli Gram Panchayat in Karnataka led the campaign forthe Ashraya (housing scheme) scheme and fought againstcorruption, trying to ensure justice through nominating andselecting the right beneficiary for the scheme. She was also activein participating in the agitation against the government whenthere was a move to take the powers of the panchayat membersin the Ashraya scheme.


x .x .x .x .x . CommunityCommunityCommunityCommunityCommunityCommunity mobilisation for Gram Sabha, other suchplatforms for participationConflict resolutionEmpowering civil society for ensuring better localgovernanceAt the time of elections to the local governments,helping in identifying the most suitable candidates andalso for building election awareness

For mobilising people for Gram Sabha participation and everydaydevelopment activities Melli Dara Gram Panchayat of Sikkimadopted a method of constituting Standing Committees. Electedleaders under the leadership of the Panchayat President of MelliDara Paiyong took the initiative to increase widespreadparticipation and engagement of people. Attempt has been toform and functionalize 10 Standing Committees in this panchayatas an effective non-governmental support system to maximisecommunity participation in the functioning of panchayat.

A community managed radio service provider, NammaDhwaniinKarnataka provides information on crops, market prices, healthissues etc. This Community Radio Station has done pioneeringwork in broadcasting Gram Sabha proceedings live in Karnataka.

In Gujarat, Mahila Swaraj Abhiyan conducted a street theatrecampaign to demonstrate to people how development issues areresolved and where panchayats have a role to play. This resultedin a perceptible improvement of numbers and quality ofparticipation in Gram Sabha. Pre election awareness campaignssuccessfully carried out by CSOs under the leadership of PRIA inmany states of the country is an example of how support to localgovernments could do even at the time of elections. It helped inbetter informed participation of the community in elections andalso identify the right candidates by them.


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55555Constituents ofConstituents ofConstituents ofConstituents ofConstituents ofNon-governmentalNon-governmentalNon-governmentalNon-governmentalNon-governmentalSupport SystemSupport SystemSupport SystemSupport SystemSupport SystemAs we have seen in the previous section, it is a large group ofpotential support institutions and organisations. NGOs arepart of it, but not exclusive. Academic and researchinstitutions, Trusts, Foundations, private firms, CommunityBased Organisations (CBOs), networks and platforms are partof it. The group could also include para-state organisations,which usually do not figure in the government led support tothe local governments. For example, the regular traininginstitutes like State Institute of Rural Development (SIRD),Administrative Training Institute (ATI) etc could be termed asgovernmental in this specific context whereas a university(agricultural university) or its department, a local collegedepartment, a research institute on a particular thematic areaetc, which may have government linkages could still beincluded in the group, as they do not fall within the usualgovernmental support system for local governments. Theinstitutions could be at the local level, district or beyond, butthe support is to be provided at the concerned level.


i .i .i .i .i . Local General Interest GroupsLocal General Interest GroupsLocal General Interest GroupsLocal General Interest GroupsLocal General Interest GroupsThere are such groups existing in various parts of thevillages, small and large. It is a group of people in thevillage with common characteristics and they havebroad objectives. These include collectives based oncommunities/ castes, youth clubs, women’sorganisations, reading rooms, libraries, residentsassociations etc

i i .i i .i i .i i .i i . Local Special Interest GroupsLocal Special Interest GroupsLocal Special Interest GroupsLocal Special Interest GroupsLocal Special Interest GroupsThese are groups or organisations formed for specificpurposes. Examples include women’s self-help groups,agricultural production related groups, environmentprotection groups, beneficiary groups ofspecific schemes etc.

i i i .i i i .i i i .i i i .i i i . Voluntary and CharitableVoluntary and CharitableVoluntary and CharitableVoluntary and CharitableVoluntary and CharitableOrganisationsOrganisationsOrganisationsOrganisationsOrganisations

Most of the voluntary agencies are membership basedand work for a common cause. They have to bedifferentiated from the conventional NGOs. In the caseof members of voluntary agencies, they generally arenot salaried. These organisations include advocacyinitiatives and activist groups.

iv.iv.iv.iv.iv. Non-Governmental OrganisationsNon-Governmental OrganisationsNon-Governmental OrganisationsNon-Governmental OrganisationsNon-Governmental OrganisationsThere are different ways of defining thenongovernmental organisations and categorising them.In general they are advocates, educators, catalysts,monitors, whistle blowers, mediators, lobbyists,activists, mobilizers, protectors of human rights,conscientizers, animators, and conciliators(D Mishra et al, 2004)1. A typical categorising schemeused to differentiate NGOs is on the basis of theiroperations.

1 Debiprasad Mishra, Saswata N Biswas, Shiladitya Roy (2004), “Governance of NonGovernment Organisations”, Silver Jubilee Symposium on Governance in Development– Issues, challenges and strategies, Institute of Rural Management Anand.


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That work directly with particular communities atsome geographic level. They are also referred as“Project Implementing NGOs”.That emerged during the 80s with the prime aimof supporting and building capacities of projectimplementing NGOs. They are referred as‘support/intermediary organisations’. Theyprovide training, hand-holding as well as othersupport services.That which engages exclusively in research andadvocacy efforts.A relatively new category consists of “networks”.Those are primarily involved in raising resourcesfor “voluntary and / or development action”.

v .v .v .v .v . Academic and ResearchAcademic and ResearchAcademic and ResearchAcademic and ResearchAcademic and ResearchOrganisationsOrganisationsOrganisationsOrganisationsOrganisationsThere are academic institutions in the nearby areas ofthe local government like colleges, polytechnicinstitutes etc. At a larger level there are universities,research institutes etc which could provide specificsupport. Academic and research institutions couldsupport Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRI) functionariesand elected representatives by imparting training andsupport on specific issues in accordance with demand.For example, Departments of universities and collegescan have signed MOUs with Gram Panchayats (GPs) fortasks like preparation of guidelines for GP budgeting,situational analysis, health management and healthsector planning, education and watershed basedplanning and strategy development in various sectors.

v i .vi .vi .vi .vi . Networks and PlatformsNetworks and PlatformsNetworks and PlatformsNetworks and PlatformsNetworks and PlatformsNetworks are groups of organisations and individualswho share common interests. They can pool in theirtechnical resources or share their knowledge resources


to others, especially local governments. There are alsoplatforms for advocacy, knowledge management etc. Inaddition, net work of local governments or associationsof local governments could also play a major role assupport system.

vi i .vi i .vi i .vi i .vi i . Funding OrganisationsFunding OrganisationsFunding OrganisationsFunding OrganisationsFunding OrganisationsVarious categories of funding organisations are therefrom local charitable trusts, foundations and bilateraland multilateral agencies.

vi i i .vi i i .vi i i .vi i i .vi i i . Private SectorPrivate SectorPrivate SectorPrivate SectorPrivate SectorApart from the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)initiatives, they could also provide technical support incertain cases.


SUPPORT SYSTEM

66666Role CharacteristicsRole CharacteristicsRole CharacteristicsRole CharacteristicsRole CharacteristicsIt is by now clear that the non-governmental support systembeing defined here is a large group of potential supportinstitutions and organisations at various levels. How theyperform this role is important.

Supply vs. DemandSupply vs. DemandSupply vs. DemandSupply vs. DemandSupply vs. DemandThe support could be demand driven or supply based.

ChannelsChannelsChannelsChannelsChannelsThese could be provided as part of projects, consultancies orMoUs with the local government, voluntary or payment based.

TypeTypeTypeTypeTypeSupport considered here is not merely the routine trainingprogrammes but handholding and facilitating.

RelationRelationRelationRelationRelationThe relation has to be based on the legitimate status of localgovernment as a tier of governments.


77777Support Needs AnalysisSupport Needs AnalysisSupport Needs AnalysisSupport Needs AnalysisSupport Needs AnalysisWhile there are methodologies in use in India on trainingneeds analysis, they do not cover the support needs asdefined in this note. There is a need to develop amethodology for the Support Needs Analysis. To begin with,a simple matrix format as shown below could be used.

No .No .No .No .No . Func t ionsFunc t ionsFunc t ionsFunc t ionsFunc t ions S u p p o r tS u p p o r tS u p p o r tS u p p o r tS u p p o r t C a t e g o r yC a t e g o r yC a t e g o r yC a t e g o r yC a t e g o r y P r e s e n tP r e s e n tP r e s e n tP r e s e n tP r e s e n t P o t e n t i a lP o t e n t i a lP o t e n t i a lP o t e n t i a lP o t e n t i a lNeedsNeedsNeedsNeedsNeeds a v a i l a b i l i t ya v a i l a b i l i t ya v a i l a b i l i t ya v a i l a b i l i t ya v a i l a b i l i t y S u p p o r tS u p p o r tS u p p o r tS u p p o r tS u p p o r t

P r o v i d e r sP r o v i d e r sP r o v i d e r sP r o v i d e r sP r o v i d e r s

I Statutory

II Delegated

III Ongoing

IV Potential

This is to be followed by an analysis of how the support isusually provided and how it should be provided, the reasonsfor the gaps and how these gaps could be addressed.


SUPPORT SYSTEM

88888Challenges and RisksChallenges and RisksChallenges and RisksChallenges and RisksChallenges and RisksThe most important challenge and the risk are about thetendency of such support systems to underestimate thelegitimate status of local governments and play the role ofthe leader rather than support system. Sometimes these tendto establish parallel systems and bodies.Role of higher level governments is crucial in providingappropriate environment for the functioning of such supportsystems. This could be through accreditation or guidelinesfor specific activities where the non-government supportsystem can play a role. Here too, how to prevent them frombecoming parallel structures for specific activities is thechallenge.Many projects and programmes supported by donor agenciesat various levels tend to ignore the legitimate status of localgovernments as the third tier of governments. These toowould only help in making the potential support system to beparallel agencies thus weakening the local governments.Lack of information and knowledge among the localgovernments regarding the availability of support systems aswell as among the various organisations and agenciesregarding the need for such support is the most crucialchallenge. How such requirements could be assessed andpotential support sources are identified is the next steprequired in the capacity building initiatives for localgovernments in India.

Documents

Panchayats: The Need for Support · PDF filePanchayats: The Need for Support System ... with due acknowledgement of the source. Prepared by ... PWGI Palampur Water