Decentralization

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In an era of globalisation, decentralisation is the principal countervailing trend which can

ensure that the growth process is pro-poor, pro-women, pro-nature and pro-jobs.
Decentralization or decentralisation is the process by which the activities of an
organization, particularly those regarding planning and decision-making, are distributed or
delegated away from a central, authoritative location or group and given to smaller factions
within it. The word "décentralisation" came into usage in the 1820s. In the mid-
1800s Tocqueville would write that the French Revolution began with "a push towards
decentralization" but became, "in the end, an extension of centralization. n 1863, retired
French bureaucrat Maurice Block wrote an article called "Decentralization" for a French
journal that reviewed the dynamics of government and bureaucratic centralization and
recent French efforts at decentralization of government functions. Decentralization in any
area is a response to the problems of centralized systems. Decentralization in government
has been seen as a solution to problems like economic decline, government inability to fund
services and their general decline in performance of overloaded services, the demands of
minorities for a greater say in local governance, the general weakening legitimacy of
the public sector and global and international pressure on countries with inefficient,
undemocratic, overly centralized systems. It was apparently indeed intended to conform to
the model of democratic government in which power and funds are transformed from higher
level institution to elected bodies at the local level having its mixed goals of democracy ,
decentralization and development it implies devolutions of government powers and
responsibilities . Decentralization of political instances, development of local leadership and
strengthening the efforts for economic modernization. To be precise decentralization is an
ideological principle associated with the objectives of self-reliance democratic decision
making , popular participation in government and accountability of Public officials to
citizens. It is a prime mechanism through which democracy becomes truly representative
and responsive.
There has been a wave of efforts to reform the state especially from 80s and early 90s. The
basic idea behind this was to bring the private players and the market forces in the
governance process along with the state.Thereby losing its burden as also making it more
effective and accountable.Decentralization is one such reform effort which was globally
advocated. Accordingly, many countries decentralized state powers to sub national
governments and shifted some of its powers to the periphery. India was no exception to this.
In 1992, when the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment Act passed that transfer of
power to popularly elected local governments, it was a crucial step toward the
decentralisation of power. The 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act introduced Panchayati
Raj Institutions (PRIs), which were not a completely new concept; it has been in existence
since centuries with the name, Gram Panchayat. Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) are
responsible for the development of the rural areas. The 74th Constitutional Amendment Act
was introduced for the development of the urban areas where municipal bodies have the
power and authority to plan for economic development and implementation of
schemes.Direct local democracy has been mandated constitutionally through the 73rd and
74th Amendments. The principle of ‘Cooperative Federalism’ (decentralised implementation
based upon harmonious understanding between the three tiers of governance – Centre,
State and local - is the basic premise of India’s Ninth Five Year Plan.
The Government of India introduced the concept of democratic decentralisation for the good
governance and development of rural and urban areas at the grassroots level.
NEED FOR DECENTRALIZATION
The urge for decentralisation has come from many sources.
Firstly, it has been prompted by the need to deliver the basic public goods such as food,
housing and water from local units of administration.
Secondly, most people in the developing countries live in rural areas, which are away from
the national capital located in distant urban areas. Administration has to penetrate the rural
areas and link these up with the nation as a whole.
Thirdly, in many countries sociological diversities manifest themselves in ethnic, linguistic
and religious differences. Administration needs to be decentralised in response to regional
diversities.
Fourthly, regional and local resources can be utilised for the area development purposes,
only if administration would move out to the regions and localities. Decentralisation,
therefore, facilitates local planning and development with the help of local responses
leading to better development outcomes.
Fifthly, decentralisation has its own value in political and administrative terms. Politically,
local participation in development activities, with intensive response paves the way for
meaningful articulation of local demands.
Issues with local Governments in India
The restriction is in the architecture of the financial streams that send money to local
governments, as well as in a lack of personnel, untimely and postponed election and
corruption.
Insufficient Funding
The money or amount provided to the local government is not enough to meet the basic
requirement of the local authorities.
Inflexibility in Spending the Allocated Budget
Most of the money given to the local government is inflexible, which means the use of
money is restricted to a particular use. For example, suppose a road is being constructed
and it is required to build sewage near the road for its durability. But it cannot be built as this
much flexibility is not given to the local government because of the constraints in the
allocated budget.
Lack of Staff
There are not enough human resources to perform basic tasks. The human resources they
get are hired by the higher-level department that too on deputation. That is why they (staff)
do not feel accountable to the local government, they think they are accountable to the
higher-level departments.
Untimely and Delayed Elections
The Constitution mandates elections within six months of completion of five years for the
panchayats and municipalities to be held, but states often postpone the election.
Corruption
Contractors and criminals are mostly attracted to the local government election because of
the large amount of money involved

CONCLUSION
Democratic decentralization is the division of power and authority in the different layers of
government that is Center, state, and local government. It is said that the more powerful
decentralization is when more people contribute to governance. Decentralization has firmly been
established both in rural as well as urban areas. Local democracy has deepened, political
participation broadened and representation diversified as a result of 73rd and 74th Constitutional
Amendment Acts. Decentralization has provided an institutionalized arena where the local
population could participate in local government
decision making. The decentralisation process has now given rural and urban local bodies an
opportunity to assume greater responsibility for rural and urban governance. The new system of
decentralised governance has provided an element of continuity and enlarged the participatory
process at the grassroots level. The states have taken certain measures to transfer functions and
devolve funds upon the local bodies.

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