Panchayati raj

Opinion | New Rajasthan govt’s move is a welcome one

2 min read . 02 Jan 2019

File photo. There are about 250,000 panchayati raj institutions and urban local bodies, and over three million elected local government representatives. Photo: HT

Evaluating the panchayati raj institutions at 25

4 min read . 30 Apr 2018

Left Front chairman Biman Bose and CPI(M) state secretary Surya Kanta Mishra with other left leaders participate in a protest rally against political violence allegedly sponsored by the state government, in Kolkata on Monday. Photo: PTI

West Bengal panchayat polls: CPI (M) a shadow of past, BJP eyes the chief opposition role

3 min read . 29 Apr 2018

Mahatma Gandhi waiting for a car outside Bifla House, Bombay (now Mumbai), on his return from Rajkot. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (left) and Vallabhbhai Patel (right) are also seen. Photo: Getty Images

What might a Gandhian constitution have looked like?

10 min read . 27 Jan 2018

India and UN-Women have collaborated in the past to empower the role of elected women representatives in panchayats. Photo: Mint

Cabinet approves MoU to support gender equality in panchayats

3 min read . 07 Mar 2017

Duli Bai (left), who has studied only till Class III, is credited with many positive changes in Chenar panchayat, where she was the sarpanch from 2010-2015. She attended workshops organized for women sarpanchs to learn how panchayati raj functions. Photo: Pradeep Gaur/Mint<br />

When a law becomes the barrier to equality of opportunity

9 min read . 30 Mar 2016

Is there room in the budget for a big rural stimulus?

4 min read . 24 Feb 2016

Saroj, who won unopposed from Nindana Tigri in Rohtak, belongs to the scheduled caste, and has two educational degrees—a Masters degree and a Bachelor of Education (B.Ed). Photo: Priyanka Parashar/Mint<br /><br />

Women and panchayats

6 min read . 16 Mar 2016

Education key to quality public representation

4 min read . 16 Mar 2016

The CBI had sought “appropriate sentence” for Thungon and the three other convicts. Photo: Ramesh Pathania/Mint<br />

Ex-minister P.K. Thungon sentenced to 4.5 years imprisonment

3 min read . 27 Jul 2015

File photo. The government has substantially raised an earlier solar energy target of achieving 20,000 megawatts (MW) capacity by 2022 to 100,000MW. Photo: Bloomberg<br />

NDA plans big rural push for green energy

3 min read . 13 Jan 2015

There are now close to 240,000 gram panchayats with around three million elected representatives, of whom about 40% are women. Photo: HT<br />

Three profound transformations

4 min read . 22 Dec 2014

Nitin Gadkari is Union minister of road transport, highways and shipping in the Narendra Modi’s government. Photo: Hemant Mishra/Mint<br />

Nitin Gadkari gets additional charge of Gopinath Munde’s portfolios

1 min read . 04 Jun 2014

All the elected women carry mobile phones as a communication tool, which has not only given them empowerment but a personal tool that could potentially be utilized for hundreds of purposes including that of having governance responsibilities. Photo: Mint<br /> (Mint)

Move to mobile governance

3 min read . 17 Jun 2013

A file photo of Rajiv Gandhi. Photo: HT <br /> (HT )

Rajiv Gandhi and the story of Indian modernization

4 min read . 19 May 2013

The directive that panchayat elections are not to be fought on the basis of political party affiliations has been discarded for all practical purposes, not just in West Bengal, but in any state with a functioning system of local government. Photo: HT<br /> (HT)

Panchayati raj challenges

3 min read . 13 May 2013

As per the 73rd and 74th amendments of the Constitution (enacted in 1993), elected representatives of panchayats and urban local bodies (ULBs) are responsible for promoting economic and social development in their areas. Photo: Pradeep Gaur/Mint<br /> (Pradeep Gaur/Mint)

Manoj Rai | A constitutional contradiction

4 min read . 03 May 2013

For villages, any digital intervention is secondary to a robust system of governance. Panchayat members know full well that digital empowerment by itself does not ensure the effectiveness of gram sabhas and work needs to be done on the ground to get the full benefit of such initiatives. Photo: Pradeep Gaur/Mint<br /><br /> (Pradeep Gaur/Mint)

Panchayats take first steps towards digital empowerment

5 min read . 03 May 2013

Inder Singh coordinator of the 24-village Hooda khap, with other khap members. In 2011, the Supreme Court said khap panchayats were illegal and had to be ‘ruthlessly stamped out’. Photo: Pradeep Gaur/Mint<br /><br /> (Pradeep Gaur/Mint)

Panchayats under the shadow of the ‘khaps’

8 min read . 01 May 2013

The reason why Dalits have still not fully exploited this empowering tool is the nature of Indian society—its inequality, social hierarchy, the rich and poor divide. Photo: Indranil Bhoumik/Mint<br /> (Indranil Bhoumik/Mint)

Panchayats: hope for dalit rights

4 min read . 01 May 2013