Southern states lead in devolution of power -Governance Now

Southern states lead in devolution of power

Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu win first and second prizes under PEIAS, Sikkim the best performing northeast state

Brajesh Kumar | April 23, 2010

Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have left behind their northern counterparts as far as the devolution of power from the state to the panchayat is concerned.

The panchayati raj ministry’s latest report on Panchayat Empowerment & Accountability Incentive Scheme (PEAIS) ranks Kerala and Karnataka as the joint winner of the first prize followed by Tamil Nadu and West Bengal on the second, Maharastra on third and Sikkim as the best performing northeast state.

While the state of devolution in other states does not figure in the report, with only six best states chosen, ministry officials say most northern states including Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Haryana and Rajasthan have not done enough on the devolution front.

Under PEIAS the ministry allocates Rs 10 crore for the states who win the first, second and third prizes. Prime Minister Manmoham Singh will give away the prizes in the capital on Saturday, April 24, that is celebrated as national panchayati raj day every year. The PM will also release the state of the panchayat report 2008-09 on the occasion.

The PEAIS winners are selected on variety of criteria including; whether the states have conducted panchayat elections, number of panchayats dissolved before completion of five years and the number of by-election conducted; constitution and function of district planning commission; core functions assigned to panchayats; implementation of central government’s welfare schemes. PEAIS was launched in 2005-06 to encourage states in empowering the panchayati raj institution and putting in place mechanism for their transparency and accountability. April 24 is celebrated as the national panchayati raj day as on this day in 1993, the 73rd amendment of the constitution was enacted, giving constitutional status to the panchayati raj institutions.

Comments

Other News

‘Oral cancer deaths in India cause productivity loss of 0.18% GDP’

A first-of-its-kind study on the economic loss due to premature death from oral cancer in India by the Tata Memorial Centre has found that this form of cancer has a premature mortality rate of 75.6% (34 premature events / 45 total events) resulting in productivity loss of approximately $5.6 billion in 2022

Days of Reading: Upendra Baxi recalls works that shaped his youth

Of Law and Life Upendra Baxi in Conversation with Arvind Narrain, Lawrence Liang, Sitharamam Kakarala, and Sruti Chaganti Orient BlackSwan, Rs 2,310

Voting by tribal communities blossoms as ECI’s efforts bear fruit

The efforts made by the Election Commission of India (ECI), over last two years, for inclusion of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG) communities and other tribal groups in the electoral process have borne fruit with scenes of tribal groups in various states/UTs participating enthusiastically in t

GST revenue for April 2024 at a new high

The gross Goods and Services Tax (GST) collections hit a record high in April 2024 at ₹2.10 lakh crore. This represents a significant 12.4% year-on-year growth, driven by a strong increase in domestic transactions (up 13.4%) and imports (up 8.3%). After accounting for refunds, the net GST

First Magahi novel presents a glimpse of Bihar bureaucracy a century ago

Fool Bahadur By Jayanath Pati (Translated by Abhay K.) Penguin Modern Classics, 112 pages, Rs 250 “Bab

Are EVs empowering India`s Green Transition?

Against the backdrop of the $3.5 billion Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme launched by the Government of India, sales of Electric Vehicles (EVs) are expected to grow at a CAGR of 35% by 2032. It is crucial to take into account the fact that 86% of EV sales in India were under the price bracket of $2