Decentralized democratic governance is a topic that is gaining currency in the contemporary times across the world. Local participatory governance is propounded as the most effective response to the demands and challenges posed by living in the 21st century.
Decentralization, in effect, is the transfer of power from the dominant to the oppressed. Power does not move automatically. It has to be made to move. Decentralization, therefore, is a task. It is not an easy task particularly in extremely unequal societies like the Indian society. There is a tendency for the oppressed to become the oppressors, in course of time, since human nature flinches from parting with power.
The task and process of decentralization, hence, are formidable and never complete. It is an ongoing historical process, allowing no space for complacency. There are over 80 countries in the world, where local governance and grass root democracy are being....
