GRAM SABHA: THE VILLAGE LEVEL CIVIL SOCIETY OF INDIA

Abstract

The gram sabha had a unique place in the rudimentary politics of India right from the beginning of organised civil life. The importance of gram sabha has been much debated and deliberated in India as an indispensable political organisation at the local level. It has a track record of performing multi-task functions right from its inception by the local people of India. There has been continuity in the tradition of gram sabha but without any change so far. The British also recognised the potential of gram sabha thus, they paid emphasis on the local body politics of the country. In the same way, when the Constitution of India was framed, equal emphasis was given to the role of local self-governance in the federal set-up of India. But after years of serious attempts by the Government of India, the enactment of the Panchayati Raj Act could be actualised only in 1992. Thus, along with the panchayat, the independent government could also rejuvenate the gram sabha for the first time. However, despite regular exercises in local body politics, the use of information and communication technology for reaching out to local people, and repeated efforts to democratise it and give it a representative character, the institution is underdeveloped and has been standing still. In such a situation, the government can play a proactive role in making the gram sabha a mandatory civil society organisation.