Giving Compass' Take:

• Dr. Shankara Prasad argues that for India's Panchayati Raj system to be more effective, they need a new approach to training its three million elected representatives.

• Constitutional provisions to promote local self-governance and to reserve seats for certain communities are welcome and necessary. However, it is not enough to simply put people in office. How can donors help? 

• Learn how the gram sabha can act as an effective tool for local government in India.

Nanjamma, a 30-year-old woman, set forth towards the Gram Panchayat (GP) office. It was her first day as a representative, after having been elected on the reserved-for-women constituency. She had never dreamt of running for political office, but her husband, who used to be the local elected member of the panchayat, had forced her to contest because their ward was now reserved for women. He had done most of her canvassing, and had used a lot of money and influence to get her elected.

Nanjamma arrived at the office and saw about 15-20 of her new colleagues—12 men, the rest, women—sitting on the floor. They were all there to get trained. Nanjamma had not been in a classroom environment in 20 years. The trainer gave them four volumes of books each, outlining their responsibilities; he would cover all in just three days. Some men nodded through the lectures, asking a few questions. But out of the six women, including Nanjamma, none seemed to have the interest, nor made any attempt to ask questions.

“Among the elected members of the approximately 250,000 GPs in India, we have seen a huge spectrum of people with varied levels of literacy.”

Nanjamma was overwhelmed by the amount of information in the books, of which she could read very little. At the end, she was relieved to not have to sit in those training sessions anymore; her husband would do the necessary networking now. She collected her certificate of completion, looking at it with amusement. She could not read it, and so didn’t quite understand what it said.

Read the full article about strengthening panchayats in India by Dr. Shankara Prasad at India Development Review.